


Piece By Piece

by SerenaElisabet



Series: Piece by Piece Universe [1]
Category: Political RPF, Political RPF - US 20th c., Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Miscarriage, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Pregnancy, Substance Abuse, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:34:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 234,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24749953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaElisabet/pseuds/SerenaElisabet
Summary: Bill and Hillary Clinton had had an amazing and wonderful life together for nearly twenty years.They were a picture perfect blended family.  But as their kids get older, can they handle all of life's challenges and curveballs or will life's ups and downs finally tear them apart and make them go their separate ways? Alternate Universe.Sequel to From This Moment On
Relationships: Bill Clinton & Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton/Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton/Original Character(s), Hillary Clinton & Original Male Character(s), Hillary Clinton/Original Character(s)
Series: Piece by Piece Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076525
Comments: 248
Kudos: 171





	1. Surprise!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm so excited to finally be sharing this story. This is the story I originally wanted to write but I figured I should probably introduce you to Jessica first and give you some background on Bill and Hillary's early relationship before going right into this story so I wrote From This Moment On first. 
> 
> Timeline wise, From This Moment On took place in the late 1980s and this story takes place seventeen years later. I had aged Bill and Hillary down in From This Moment On so in this story Hillary is 47, Bill is 48, Jessica is 21 and Chelsea is 17. Jessica is my OC. If you haven't read From This Moment On, I would recommend at least skimming it before reading this story but you don't necessarily have to have read it to enjoy this story, I don't think. 
> 
> Hope you all don't mind that the first few chapters take place at Christmas time lol. I needed a reason to have the whole family be together and hey, we could all use a little Christmas cheer right now in these times, right? Haha. 
> 
> I think I covered everything but any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Hope you enjoy this first chapter and let me know your thoughts!

_But piece by piece, he collected me up  
Off the ground, where you abandoned things  
Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me_

_-Kelly Clarkson_

**December 2005**

It had been a crazy, wonderful, beautiful, and exciting past seventeen years for Hillary, Jessica, and Bill, as well as their seventeen year old daughter Chelsea, and their year and a half old adopted daughter, Hayley. After moving to Arkansas and settling in, Bill had lost his bid for Congress but was later successful when he campaigned to be the Attorney General of Arkansas and won. After serving one term, he had decided to follow his lifelong dream and campaign to be the Governor of Arkansas which he had also won and had served two consecutive terms. It was now nearing the end of his second term and he was finishing out the last few weeks of his term before the new Governor would be sworn in. Since Jessica was away at college and Chelsea would be leaving for college in a few months as well, he and Hillary had decided to buy a house in Chappaqua, New York while Bill debated a future run for President and they figured out their next steps together. Jessica was in her last year at NYU so Bill and Hillary were very excited that they would be closer to her, at least for the next few months, depending on what Jessica’s next steps after graduation would be.  
Hillary had been working at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas for most of their time in Arkansas, all through Bill’s career in politics. While she was definitely an unconventional First Lady of Arkansas, that’s why Bill’s supporters admired the couple so much. And she knew she was setting a good example for her daughters which made her proud. She was sad that she would be leaving the firm and her colleagues at the end of December because they really had become like family to her and she loved the work she was doing. But since she was still licensed to practice law in New York she had accepted a job at a small law office in Chappaqua and she was excited for what new adventures that would bring. And she was relieved and excited that she would be a lot closer to Jessica. 

It was late on a Monday evening, shortly before Christmas, and Hillary was working on some paperwork in the living room of the Governor’s mansion. She was making sure that some loose ends were tied up before she officially left her job in a couple of days. She was suddenly startled when her cell phone started ringing, the noise piercing through the previously silent room.  
Slightly surprised by the vibrating and ringing, she quickly grabbed it and answered. “Hello?”  
“Hi, mom!” Jessica’s cheerful voice came through the other end.  
“Oh, hi, baby,” Hillary smiled to herself at the sound of her eldest daughter’s voice. “What’s up? How’s school going?”  
“It’s pretty good. I have my last exam of the semester tomorrow morning,” Jessica answered. “But I’m _so_ glad that it’s almost Christmas break.”  
Hillary smiled, “Two more days, baby. I’ll see you Thursday afternoon.”  
“Ugh, I miss you so much, mom!” Jessica said.  
“I know,” Hillary nodded to herself, sighing. “I miss seeing your pretty face every day.”  
Jessica chuckled, “And I miss Chelsea. And Bill. And all of you!”  
“Well, we all miss you, too,” Hillary smiled. “I hope you like your Christmas presents.”  
“I hope you like yours,” Jessica replied. She sighed. “I should get back to studying. I just wanted to say hi. I missed your voice.”  
“Alright, sweetie,” Hillary said. “Good luck on your exam tomorrow and I’ll see you on Thursday. Do you want me to pick you up from the airport?”  
“Yeah, that would be great actually,” Jessica answered.  
“Alright, I’ll do it,” Hillary said. “Things at the office should be pretty calm so I can duck out early.”  
“Okay, mom,” Jessica replied. “See you on Thursday. I love you.”  
“Love you, too, baby.”  
“Tell everyone I said hi,” Jessica added.  
“Of course,” Hillary said, picking up her pen, ready to get back to her paperwork. “See you soon, sweetie.”  
“Bye, mom,” Jessica replied before hanging up.  
Hillary sighed and hung up just as Bill came downstairs and entered the living room.  
“Hey,” Hillary chirped.  
“Hey,” Bill said, sitting down next to Hillary on the couch. “Who was on the phone?”  
“Jess,” Hillary answered.  
Bill nodded, “Is she excited for the semester to be over?”  
Hillary nodded and sighed. “She sure is. I miss her so much, Bill.”  
Bill nodded and rubbed Hillary’s back reassuringly. “I know, baby. Me, too.”  
Hillary sighed again and snuggled up to Bill. “I miss her _a lot_.”  
“I know,” Bill soothingly whispered.  
“Why did she have to go to school all the way in New York City?” Hillary jokingly asked, chuckling to herself.  
Bill chuckled, “Because that’s where she wanted to go.”  
Hillary sighed again. “I know that, logically. But I miss my baby girl. I don’t know what I’m going to do when Chelsea goes away to Stanford in September. Why do my babies want to go to school so far away?”  
Bill chuckled again, “They’re not babies anymore. And hey, at least we’ll be closer to Jessica in a few weeks.”  
Hillary rolled her eyes at him, “You know what I mean. They’re always going to be my babies.”  
“I know,” Bill said softly, gently squeezing Hillary’s shoulder.  
Hillary smiled up at her husband of seventeen years, “Thank you for being such a good father to them.”  
Bill smiled, “I sure do love our girls a whole lot.” His smile suddenly faded and he frowned, his brow furrowing. “You know, I sometimes wish Jessica was mine. Y’know, biologically.”  
Hillary nodded. “I know. Me, too,” she whispered. “But you’ve known her since she was three. You’re basically her dad at this point. Most people think she’s yours anyway. I mean, you’re a helluva better father to her than Nick is.” Hillary rolled her eyes at the thought of her ex-boyfriend and Jessica’s biological father.  
Bill snickered, “You got that right.”  
Hillary shook her head at just the thought of Nick. Nearly twenty-two years later, and she still detested that man.  
“Hey, baby?” Bill started. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed. Your paperwork will still be here in the morning.”  
“But—” Hillary protested.  
Bill lifted a finger to silence her. “Hilly, if we go to bed now, that’s only two more sleeps until we get to see Jessie.”  
Hillary rolled her eyes at her husband but what he said worked. She put her paperwork down in a neat pile on the coffee table, got up from the couch and started walking upstairs. Bill followed behind her up to their bedroom.  
“You just want to have your way with me, William,” Hillary teased, smirking.  
“And what’s so wrong with that?” Bill smirked, as they stopped in the doorway of their bedroom.  
“Nothing at all,” Hillary smirked in return, pulling Bill into the bedroom. 

* * * 

Two days later, Hillary was waiting at the airport for Jessica. Her flight from New York had landed shortly before so Hillary knew she would be seeing her eldest daughter any minute.  
“Mom!”  
Hillary turned around, broken out of her reverie by the sound of her daughter’s voice.  
“Hey!” Hillary said, at the sight of Jessica running towards her.  
“Mom!” Jessica said again, giving Hillary a big hug as she reached her.  
Hillary grinned at the sight of her daughter, having not seen her since the end of August. “God, you’re gorgeous, baby!”  
Jessica was almost a spitting image of her mother, with long golden blonde hair that flowed down her back. She could have been a younger, carbon copy of her mother if it wasn’t for her eye colour. Unlike her mother’s blue eyes, Jessica had inherited deep chocolate brown eyes from her father. And at 5’11, she was also several inches taller than Hillary, and towered over her, especially with the black high heeled winter boots Jessica had on.  
“Oh my God, I missed you so much, mama!”  
Hillary smiled, “I bet I missed you more.”  
“I have so much to tell you!” Jessica gushed.  
“Well, we have a nice long car ride home,” Hillary pointed out. “Did you get all your luggage?”  
Jessica nodded. “I can’t believe I’m home for almost a month!”  
“I’m so glad you are,” Hillary grinned, genuinely happy to have her daughter home for the holidays.  
“Can we get coffee for the car ride home?” Jessica asked.  
“What? You hate coffee,” Hillary laughed.  
Jessica shook her head, “Not anymore.”  
“Since when?” Hillary asked, taken aback.  
“Since I got a boyfriend who works at Starbucks,” Jessica smirked.  
“Derek?” Hillary asked, remembering the name of the last boyfriend her daughter had told her about over the summer.  
Jessica shook her head, “No, we broke up. Now I’m with Ethan.”  
“Who the hell is Ethan?” Hillary asked, never having heard that name before. She was slightly taken aback by this news as the two of them walked through the airport towards the nearest coffee kiosk.  
“New guy. We just met and we’re completely in love,” Jessica said, nonchalantly with a shrug.  
Hillary frowned in confusion, “But what happened with Derek? He was a nice guy and you seemed head over heels for him.”  
“Long story,” Jessica shrugged. “It’s no big deal, mom. Really. He’s an ass. Anyways, do you want a coffee?” She gestured towards the coffee bar that they had arrived at and were standing in front of.  
“Uh...sure,” Hillary said, still slightly shocked by her daughter’s news.  
“How does an iced mocha sound?” Jessica asked her, not noticing her mother’s shock.  
“Yeah, get me that, whatever that is,” Hillary answered, chuckling. “Whatever happened to regular plain old coffee?”  
Jessica chuckled and rolled her eyes at her mother, “You’ll like it, mama. I promise.” She pecked Hillary’s cheek and got in line. 

A few minutes later, Jessica came back with their drinks.  
“Here you go, mama,” Jessica handed Hillary hers. “Try it!”  
Hillary nodded and took a sip. “Oh, that is good.”  
Jessica chuckled, “I told you.”  
“So...tell me more about this Ethan,” Hillary said as the two of them walked to the car.  
“Oh, he’s great! You and dad would love him,” Jessica replied. “He’s majoring in political science.”  
“And how long have you been dating?” Hillary asked.  
“Two weeks,” Jessica blushed.  
“And why didn’t you tell me about him yet?” Hillary asked, slightly irritated that this was the first she was hearing of her daughter’s new boyfriend.  
Jessica shrugged with an air of indifference.  
“You have to tell me this stuff, sweetie!” Hillary exclaimed.  
“Sorry!” Jessica laughed.  
“So...is he cute?” Hillary smiled.  
“Well, duh,” Jessica rolled her eyes.  
Hillary rolled her eyes in response, and shook her head at her daughter.  
“I’ll show you pictures of him when we get home,” Jessica offered as they arrived at a waiting black town car.  
“And school’s okay?” Hillary checked as they got in the back seat and an Arkansas state trooper put Jessica’s luggage into the trunk.  
“Oh, yeah, it's amazing!” Jessica gushed. “I love it! I love New York!”  
“That’s great, honey,” Hillary smiled, happy and relieved that her daughter seemed content.  
“You really need to come visit me sometime. Just you and me for a few days. We would have _so_ much fun,” Jessica offered.  
“I bet we would,” Hillary agreed. “We lived in New York for a few years when you were little but you probably don’t remember.”  
Jessica shook her head, “I don’t. I just remember Chicago and Arkansas.” She weakly smiled at the thought of her childhood memories. “I miss everyone so much, mom. Hayley has probably forgotten who I am.” She sighed.  
Hillary chuckled, “No, she’s actually been asking for you all day.”  
“Aww!” Jessica squealed. “Really?”  
Hillary nodded, smiling. “She keeps asking where Jessie is.” She chuckled.  
“Aww!” Jessica cooed. “I love her!”  
Hillary chuckled. Even though she had Jessica and Chelsea, a few years earlier she had felt a stirring desire that her and Bill’s family still wasn’t complete. She desperately wanted a son and she and Bill tried for a third baby to no avail. With Jessica away at college and knowing Chelsea would be off to college soon, fearing empty nest syndrome, Bill and Hillary had looked into adoption and luckily it had worked out. Even though they thought they wanted to adopt a boy, when they found out that a six month old baby girl was up for adoption and baby Hayley was placed in Hillary’s arms for the first time, Hillary knew that she was the perfect fit to complete their family. Hayley was a year and a half old now, and she was happy and thriving.  
“I’m _so_ glad to be home,” Jessica suddenly said. “It’s freezing in New York right now. But I’ll miss the snow.”  
Well, there’s definitely no snow here,” Hillary chuckled. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much, Jessie.”  
“I know, mom. I missed you, too.”  
“How was your flight?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica shrugged, “Fine. Uneventful.”  
“I find those are the best kind,” Hillary joked.  
Jessica chuckled, “Yeah. How’s everything been here in Arkansas?”  
“It’s been great. Chelsea is doing wonderfully in school and your dad is excited about his next chapter.”  
“Chelsea’s gonna graduate high school soon,” Jessica realized. “Wow, I remember when she was born.”  
Hillary chuckled, “You do? You were only four.”  
Jessica laughed, “Well, I remember Grandma taking me to the hospital gift shop to pick out a gift for her after she was born.”  
“You two had so much fun together when you were little,” Hillary smiled fondly at the memories.  
“Now she’s all grown up. I feel old,” Jessica remarked.  
Hillary guffawed, “Well, imagine how I feel then! You’re already a senior in college. I swear time has flown by.”  
“Yeah, and I’m pretty happy to just have one semester left,” Jessica said.  
“I bet,” Hillary nodded and smiled. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”  
Jessica smiled, “Thanks, mom.”  
Hillary leaned over and pecked Jessica’s cheek, “My baby.”  
“Mom,” Jessica whined.  
“What?” Hillary scoffed, chuckling.  
“Don’t,” Jessica replied, rolling her eyes.  
“Don’t what?” Hillary huffed. “You _are_ my baby!”  
“Mom, I’m nearly twenty-two,” Jessica pointed out.  
“Well, you’ll always be my baby,” Hillary explained as the car pulled into the driveway of the Governor’s Mansion.  
Jessica squealed and excitedly ran inside once the car was parked. Hillary smiled and trailed behind her.  
“Jess!” Chelsea squealed as Jessica ran into the foyer.  
“Hi!” Jessica grinned. “How are you, sis?”  
“I’m great!” Chelsea enthusiastically answered as the two sisters embraced.  
“I’ve missed you,” Jessica said.  
“Me, too,” Chelsea replied.  
“Hey, sweetheart!” Bill happily greeted Jessica as he entered the foyer.  
Jessica tightly hugged him, “Hey, Bill.”  
“We missed you,” Bill said to her, rubbing her back.  
“Can I come live with you in New York?” Chelsea asked Jessica after her and Bill had finished embracing.  
Jessica chuckled, “No, silly. You have to finish high school first.”  
Chelsea mockingly sighed. “But I miss you.”  
“Hey, I’m here for almost a month,” Jessica pointed out. “We’re going to have so much fun these next few weeks.”  
“Where’s Hayley?” Hillary asked Bill.  
“Napping,” Bill replied.  
“Aww, I miss her, too,” Jessica sighed.  
“Let her finish her nap,” Bill said. “She was _so_ cranky.”  
Jessica nodded, “I think I’ll go take a quick nap before dinner, too if that's alright with you guys.”  
“Of course," Hillary nodded understandingly. "Go right ahead. We haven’t changed a thing in your room."  
Jessica smiled, “I know. Thanks.”  
“I’ll go get your luggage,” Bill offered.  
“Thanks,” Jessica said again, pecking her stepfather’s cheek before she bounced upstairs.  
Hillary grinned, “I’m so happy she’s home.”  
Bill nodded and smiled, “I know.”  
They suddenly heard Hayley’s cries coming over the baby monitor.  
“Oh, I’ve got her!” Jessica called down the stairs. 

Jessica ran down the hallway from her bedroom into Hayley’s nursery.  
“Hi, Hayley!” She squealed.  
“Jessie!” Hayley squealed and cooed as she immediately stopped crying.  
“I missed you, Hayls!” Jessica cooed excitedly as she scooped her baby sister up.  
“Jessie,” Hayley grinned.  
Jessica grinned back.  
“Jessie, I walk,” Hayley giggled.  
Jessica gasped, “You can walk now?”  
“Walk!” Hayley demanded.  
Jessica smiled, “Show me, baby girl!” She put her sister down on the floor and Hayley immediately started walking in a circle around the room.  
“Oh my God!” Jessica happily teared up.  
Hayley walked back over to Jessica. “Yay Jessie!”  
Jessica scooped her back up, “You’re getting to be such a big girl!”  
She went back downstairs, carrying Hayley in her arms.  
“She can walk now?” Jessica exclaimed to the rest of her family, as she entered the kitchen, where everyone was gathered.  
Hillary proudly smiled and nodded.  
“Aww!” Jessica squealed. “Good job, baby girl!” She kissed Hayley’s cheek.  
“Jess!” Hayley happily squealed.  
“Go and take your nap, sweetie,” Hillary said to Jessica, taking Hayley from her.  
Jessica nodded.  
Hayley cutely waved goodbye to Jessica as Jessica started walking away.  
Jessica grinned and waved back. “I love you, baby sis! But Jessie’s tired.”  
Hillary grinned, “You love your big sister, don’t you?” She cooed to Hayley after Jessica had gone back upstairs.  
Hayley grinned, “Wuv Jessie.”  
Hillary smiled down at Hayley before she turned towards Chelsea. “You’re sure you don’t mind babysitting her while your dad and I attend this Christmas party we have to go to tonight since the nanny has the night off?”  
“Yeah, it's no problem,” Chelsea answered. “You know I love spending time with her. And I think Jessica probably wants some quality time with her anyways.”  
“You know, you girls are invited to the party, too,” Bill pointed out.  
“Nah, we’ll just have a cozy girls night in, I think,” Chelsea replied. “Jessica’s probably tired from her exams and travelling. But thanks for the offer.”  
Bill nodded and shrugged, “Alright, sweetheart. Suit yourself. The chef is off tonight but we’ll leave you girls some money to order pizza.”  
Chelsea nodded as she grabbed Hayley from her mom so that Hillary could start getting ready for the party, “Sounds good.” 

* * * * 

An hour later, Hillary went to wake Jessica up from her nap and to let her know that her and Bill were leaving for their Christmas party. She carefully crept into her daughter’s room and gently shook Jessica.  
“Honey? Your dad and I are going to get going. We have a Christmas party to attend.”  
“I’m tired, mama,” Jessica groaned.  
“Well, Chelsea’s going to need help with Hayley so get up,” Hillary said.  
Jessica sighed, “I broke up with Ethan. I decided to get back with Derek.”  
“In an hour?” Hillary scoffed in disbelief.  
Jessica nodded, biting her lip.  
Hillary just chuckled and shook her head. She never knew what to expect from her oldest daughter.  
“And I invited him here for Christmas,” Jessica nervously admitted.  
“Jessica Dorothy!” Hillary scolded. “You can’t just invite him here for Christmas without asking me first!”  
“I didn’t want him to be alone for Christmas! He doesn’t have anybody else!” Jessica argued.  
Hillary sighed, “I don’t know about this, Jess.”  
“You and dad love Derek!” Jessica pointed out.  
Hillary sighed again, “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s go downstairs.”  
Jessica just sighed and nodded as she got out of bed and followed her mother downstairs, where the rest of their family was waiting for them in the living room.  
“Jessie!” Hayley squealed excitedly.  
“Hi, sweetie,” Jessica grinned. “Can I have a glass of wine while you guys are gone?” she asked Hillary.  
Hillary scoffed and chuckled, “No!”  
“Mom!” Jessica whined. “I’m twenty-one.”  
Hillary sighed, “Fine. _One_ glass.”  
Jessica smiled, “Awesome. Thanks.”  
“Anyways, we better get going,” Hillary realized. “We won’t stay too long. We'll just make the appropriate rounds and pose for a few photos. Chelsea knows Hayley’s bath and bedtime routine…”  
She trailed off when Jessica suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and ran in the direction of the bathroom.  
“Jess? Sweetie? Are you alright?” Hillary asked, rushing to the bathroom after hearing what sounded like Jessica throwing up. She entered the bathroom and held Jessica’s hair back until Jessica was finished.  
“Are you okay, sweetie?” Hillary asked her, passing Jessica a wet cloth so Jessica could wipe her mouth.  
“I’m fine, mom,” Jessica insisted, as she caught her breath. “Airport sushi for lunch was probably a bad idea.” She awkwardly chuckled.  
“Well, okay,” Hillary said, nervously biting her lip. She didn’t like it when any of her children weren’t feeling well. She and Jessica walked back to the living room.  
“You okay, Jess?” Bill asked her, soothingly rubbing her back.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jessica nodded. “It must have been something I ate. You guy scan go to your party. Have fun.”  
“You sure? We don’t have to go, sweetheart,” Bill drawled.  
“No, go!” Jessica insisted. “I’ll be fine.”  
Bill shrugged, “Okay, then. Come on, Hill.”  
He grabbed his wife’s arm and led her out of the house towards the car.  
* * * *  
“I want ice cream,” Jessica said.  
It was a few hours later. Chelsea, Hayley, and Jessica had eaten dinner and Chelsea had just finished putting Hayley to bed.  
“Ohhh, let’s make ice cream sundaes!” Chelsea got a mischievous smile on her face. “And we can watch a movie.”  
“Sounds perfect,” Jessica said before she grabbed the baby monitor and followed her younger sister downstairs into the kitchen.  
“I’m so glad you’re home, Jess,” Chelsea said as she got the ice cream out of the freezer.  
Jessica smiled, “Thanks. It feels good to be home.”  
“Mom misses you a lot when you’re gone,” Chelsea said. “So do I.”  
“Aww, I miss you guys, too,” Jessica replied. “Now give me the ice cream!” She playfully stuck her tongue out at Chelsea.  
Chelsea laughed and rolled her eyes.  
Jessica chuckled and scooped several scoops of vanilla ice cream into a bowl. She grabbed the chocolate syrup and started generously squirting it on top.  
“That’s _a lot_ of chocolate, Jess,” Chelsea pointed out.  
Jessica shrugged, “I like chocolate. You can never have too much chocolate.”  
“And that’s a lot of ice cream,” Chelsea realized. “And you ate like five slices of pizza, too.”  
“Well I’m hungry!” Jessica snapped. “Mind your own damn business, Chelsea! What are you, the food police?”  
“Okay, okay,” Chelsea backed off, sensing one of her sister’s bad moods coming on.  
“God, you’re such a bitch sometimes, Chelsea,” Jessica glared at her younger sister.  
“Who, whoa. What’s going on with you, Jess?” Chelsea asked, widening her eyes in surprise.  
Jessica sighed, “I’m sorry, Chels. I’m just stressed.”  
“About what?” Chelsea asked curiously. "Is everything okay?"  
“Come on, let’s go eat our ice cream before it melts. Afterwards, I have to tell you something.”  
“What is it?” Chelsea begged, her curiosity peaked.  
“Eat your ice cream first.”  
“No, tell me now!” Chelsea pleaded.  
Jessica sighed, “I think I’m pregnant.”  
Chelsea gasped and her eyes widened in shock again. “What!? Seriously?”  
Jessica sighed again and nodded. “My period is late. And as you saw, I’ve been nauseous lately. And my boobs hurt.”  
“I thought you were on the pill, Jess,” Chelsea said calmly.  
“I might have been a little careless and forgotten to take it a few times,” Jessica shrugged. “I bought a pregnancy test earlier today before my flight and brought it with me. Come upstairs with me so I can take it.”  
Chelsea nodded and followed her older sister upstairs to Jessica’s room, their ice cream sundaes abandoned. 

* * * * 

_Positive._  
The sisters stared at the pregnancy test in Jessica’s hand with wide eyes as two bright pink lines stared back at them.  
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” was all Jessica could say, in shock.  
“Wow!” Chelsea exclaimed, not expecting this at all.  
“How could I have been so stupid? Oh my God, I’m so stupid,” Jessica teared up.  
“Mom and Dad are gonna _freak_ ,” Chelsea said to her sister.  
“We’re going to freak out about what?”  
Both girls turned around in surprise to see Hillary standing in the doorway of Jessica’s bedroom with a worried expression on her face. 

To Be Continued…


	2. Secrets & Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you're all enjoying this story so far! I already have the first few chapters written and couldn't wait any longer to update so enjoy! :)

“Mom! You’re back early!” Chelsea jumped in surprise at Hillary's arrival just as Jessica burst into tears.  
“Yeah, we made our rounds and decided to leave early,” Hillary explained with a worried frown across her face. “What the hell is going on?” She hurried over to the two girls, still in her dress from the party; more concerned and worried than angry. “What’s gotten you so worked up, Jessica?”  
Wordlessly and with shaking hands, Jessica passed the positive pregnancy test over to Hillary.  
“Is this for real?” Hillary asked both girls with wide eyes. “You’re not playing some cruel joke on me?”  
“It’s real, mama,” Jessica choked out. “I’m...pregnant.”  
“Chelsea, can you leave us alone?” Hillary calmly asked.  
Chelsea nodded and started backing out of the room. “ _Good luck_ ,” she mouthed to Jessica before she left her sister’s room and retreated down the hallway to her own bedroom.  
“Come on, let’s go sit down,” Hillary led Jessica over to the bed and sat down beside her. She comfortingly placed a hand on Jessica’s thigh.  
“I thought you were on the pill, Jessica,” Hillary calmly pointed out.  
“I might have...forgotten...to take it a few times,” Jessica choked out.  
“Jessica Dorothy Rodham!”  
“Don’t get mad! I’m scared, mama!” Jessica cried.  
Hillary sighed, her own calmness over this development surprising her. “I guess I’ll have to book you a doctor’s appointment. We’ll get this figured out. You have options, you know. Whatever you choose to do...I’ll support.”  
“You’re not mad?” Jessica asked, surprised. “And what if dad decides to run for President? This is going to be so bad for the campaign. I know how hard it was for him to win the Governorship, with you having a daughter from a previous relationship and how a lot of voters didn’t like that…” Jessica rambled on hysterically.  
“Shhh, shhh, honey calm down,” Hillary soothed. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Your dad hasn’t even decided whether he wants to run for President in ‘08 or not.”  
“But you’re not angry?” Jessica asked, frowning in confusion as her sobs subsided.  
“Am I disappointed with you, Jessica? Yes. But I’m not angry. You’re a twenty-one year old adult woman who has the right to make her own decisions now,” Hillary said. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be there for you. My dad turned his back on me while I was pregnant with you. I won’t do the same thing to you. You know that I’ll _always_ be there for you, no matter what.”  
Jessica slowly nodded.  
Hillary started swiping at Jessica's tears, “It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything will work out.”  
Jessica nervously nodded again. “I mean I guess it's good that you and dad are moving to New York and you’ll be closer to me.” She awkwardly chuckled at the irony.  
“Yeah,” Hillary weakly smiled. “You only have one semester of school left. Wherever you decide to live after graduation, Bill and I can help you and the baby get settled...if you keep it that is.”  
“I’m having a baby,” Jessica whispered, coming to terms with it. It was in that very moment, then and there, that she instantly decided she would be keeping the baby.  
“I’m too young to be a grandma,” Hillary teased, gently nudging Jessica.  
Jessica chuckled, “Sorry.”  
Hillary shrugged, “I guess I had you young.”  
“Yeah, but you were twenty-five, almost twenty-six. You were finished with law school. You were about to take the bar exam and get your first job at a law firm.”  
“You’ll still finish college,” Hillary encouraged. “And whatever you go on to do after undergrad, I’ll support.”  
“Oh my God, I’m going to be a terrible mother,” Jessica suddenly said. “I hate kids.”  
“Oh, don’t say that,” Hillary scoffed. “You _love_ Hayley.”  
Jessica shrugged and frowned.  
“Jess, I know exactly what you’re going through. And it’s all going to be okay,” Hillary soothed.  
Jessica nodded as she leaned against Hillary before she suddenly burst into tears again.  
“Calm down, baby,” Hillary soothed, rubbing Jessica’s back. “You’re going to be a fantastic mom.”  
Jessica sighed as she started calming down again. “I don’t want a kid, yet.”  
“Guess what? I didn’t want kids yet when I got pregnant with you,” Hillary shrugged. “And look at me now.”  
Jessica managed to chuckle.  
Hillary chuckled and continued soothingly rubbing Jessica’s back. “I’ll call my gynecologist's office in the morning and get you an appointment with my OBGYN.”  
Jessica nodded as she wiped her tears, “Thanks, mama. I love you.”  
“I love you more, baby,” Hillary smiled, before reaching over and giving Jessica a tight hug.  
“Don’t tell Bill yet,” Jessica said. “I want to tell him myself.”  
Hillary nodded. “Of course.” Even though she and Bill shared everything, she knew this was Jessica’s news to share with him when she was ready to tell him.  
“No wonder my boobs hurt,” Jessica joked.  
Hillary chuckled.  
“And I’ve been so bloated and nauseous lately, ugh,” Jessica complained.  
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica shrugged, “I wanted to know for sure first. I think Derek figured it out. I think that’s why we got back together so quickly. And Ethan was tired of me for being so moody lately.” She touched her stomach. “This is so crazy. I don’t know how to be a mom!”  
“Shhh,” Hillary soothed.  
“I’m so stupid. I’ve messed everything up,” Jessica shakily sighed.  
“Nothing is messed up, Jessica,” Hillary said. “It’ll be okay, baby girl.”  
“You’ll go with me to the doctor tomorrow?” Jessica checked.  
“Of course,” Hillary chuckled. “That was a silly question.”  
Jessica nodded.  
“Now come on,” Hillary said. “Let’s go have some ice cream and we can talk some more.”

* * * * *

When Jessica came downstairs for breakfast the next morning Bill was sitting at the kitchen table eating toast with peanut butter while reading the newspaper.  
“Morning,” she said to him while opening a kitchen cupboard to look for the hot chocolate mix.  
Bill grinned at her, “Good morning, sweetheart. How’d you sleep?”  
Jessica shrugged, “Fine.” Truth be told, she was so nervous after finding out she was pregnant that she had only gotten a few hours of restless sleep. But it had felt nice to be back home in her old bedroom.  
Hillary suddenly came into the kitchen, fully dressed for work in a suit. “You have a doctor’s appointment at one, sweetie. I’ll take the afternoon off work.”  
Jessica nodded, “Okay. Thanks for making an appointment for me, Mom.”  
“No problem,” Hillary replied as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  
“Why are you going to the doctor?” Bill asked Jessica in confusion.  
“Uh, just a check-up,” Jessica lied, feeling slightly guilty for lying to her stepfather but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet. She had no idea how he would take the news and she didn’t think he would be as understanding as her mother had been.  
“Oh, okay,” Bill said, still confused. He had noticed Hillary and Jessica had been acting strange ever since him and Hillary had gotten home from the party the previous night. He took a sip of his coffee.  
“It’s a girl thing, honey,” Hillary stepped in for Jessica’s sake. She gave a knowing look at Jessica.  
Bill chuckled, “Oh, alright then. Got it.” He went back to reading the newspaper article he had been reading before he suddenly looked up again. “I’m so glad you’re home, sweetie,” he said to Jessica.  
Jessica smiled as she made herself a cup of hot chocolate, “Thanks. I’m definitely glad to be home, too.”  
Hillary smiled over at two of her favorite people in the whole world. She was glad that they had such a special bond and that Bill was an amazing father to his stepdaughter.  
After a few minutes Bill excused himself to finish getting ready for work.  
“Do you want breakfast, sweetie?” Hillary asked Jessica, as she started cracking eggs into a bowl to make scrambled eggs.  
Jessica nodded, “Sure. If I can keep it down that is.” She scrunched her face up.  
Hillary frowned, remembering how awful her morning sickness had been with both of her pregnancies.  
“I talked to Derek on the phone after you went to bed last night. He knows now,” Jessica said.  
Hillary just nodded as she cooked breakfast.  
“He’s excited I think,” Jessica continued. “Can he still come here for Christmas?”  
“Yeah, I guess so,” Hillary replied, nodding again.  
“Thanks,” Jessica smiled.  
“So what happened with you two anyways? Why did you break up?” Hillary asked as she started cooking some bacon.  
“He hooked up with some girl from his study group while he was still dating me. He was supposedly drunk but still,” Jessica rolled her eyes.  
“But you took him back?” Hillary asked, slightly taken aback.  
Jessica shrugged, “I’m in love with him, mom.”  
Hillary sighed. Even though things had been great between her and Bill for the past seventeen years, they still had their ups and downs and she knew Bill still had his issues to deal with. He had mostly stayed faithful for the past seventeen years but he had strayed a few times. Hillary always took him back and she tried her best to shield Chelsea and Jessica from what was going on as much as possible but deep in her heart she knew that they knew what was going on. She just hoped she hadn’t provided a poor example for her daughters of what to look for in a relationship. But she also couldn’t argue with her oldest daughter’s logic right now. She sighed again.  
“Mom, don’t,” Jessica sighed harshly. “I really do love him. And I think he loves me too. And we’re having a baby together.”  
Hillary just nodded, realizing that history was repeating itself. She saw her thirty year old self in her twenty-one year old daughter.  
“Maybe we’ll get married someday,” Jessica dreamily wondered aloud.  
“Yeah, maybe,” Hillary agreed as she plated their breakfast, not in the mood to have a fight with Jessica at that moment. Today was supposed to be a happy day. “Come on, eat your breakfast. Today’s a big day.”  
Jessica nodded, “I love you, mama.”  
Hillary smiled, “I love you, too, baby.”  
“Promise you’ll come to the doctor with me later?” Jessica pressed. “You won’t get stuck at work or anything?”  
Hillary chuckled, “Yes, Jessica. I promise. I’ll be there.”  
Jessica nodded and absentmindedly touched her stomach. She was both nervous and excited for her doctor’s appointment later. 

* * * * *

“Mom, we’re going to be late!” Jessica cried as she got into Hillary’s car after Hillary had picked her up to take her to the doctor’s.  
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I got held up at work,” Hillary apologized. “But we’re going now. We’ll be fine for time I think.”  
Jessica nodded as she put her seatbelt on. “ I’m excited.”  
Hillary weakly smiled, “Me, too. But I can’t believe I’m technically a grandma already,” she chuckled. “I’m only forty-seven.”  
“Yeah, you’re too hot to be a grandma,” Jessica playfully nudged her mom.  
Hillary scoffed and rolled her eyes at Jessica. “Yeah, right.”  
“You are, mom!” Jessica insisted.  
Hillary shrugged and rolled her eyes playfully again. “Sure, whatever you say.”  
A few minutes later they had arrived at the doctor’s office as it was only a short drive from the Governor’s Mansion. Hillary grabbed a magazine to read while Jessica checked in at the desk.  
“Oh God, I’m so nervous,” Jessica whined as she sat down beside Hillary in the waiting room.  
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Hillary assured Jessica.  
“Jessica Rodham?” They heard the nurse call.  
“Let’s go,” Hillary said.  
Jessica nodded and they followed the nurse to the exam room.  
“It says here you need a check up?” The nurse asked Jessica.  
Jessica nodded, “I need a...pregnancy test actually. To confirm a pregnancy. I took a test at home that was positive.”  
The nurse nodded, “Sure. Give me a few minutes to get set up and I’ll get the doctor for you.”  
Jessica nodded again, “Sounds good. Thanks.” She looked over at Hillary while the nurse busied herself. “Should I change my last name, mom?”  
“To Clinton?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica nodded.  
Hillary shrugged, “It’s up to you, baby.” Even Hillary had only added Clinton to her name a few years prior in order to help Bill win his re-election campaign for Governor.  
“I’ve been meaning to change it for years but I've never gotten around to it. Not that I don’t like having your name but I’ve always wanted to be a Clinton. And I want this baby to be a Clinton, I think.”  
“Bill would like that a lot,” Hillary mused. “But it's your decision. He wouldn’t care either way. You know that. He loves you regardless.”  
Jessica nodded, “I think I’m gonna do it. I want to.”  
Hillary smiled, “Okay, sweetie.”  
They were distracted by the doctor coming into the room.  
“Oh, hi,” Hillary smiled at her.  
“Hi, Hillary. It’s lovely to see you again,” the doctor said. “I’m Dr. Lily Roberts," she introduced herself to Jessica, shaking her hand.  
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jessica shyly smiled.  
“So what’s been going on that brought you to see us today, Jessica?” Dr. Roberts asked.  
“I think I’m pregnant. I took a test at home that was positive,” Jessica explained.  
“Well, at home pregnancy tests are _usually_ accurate if they are taken correctly. But let’s do some tests today to double check,” Dr. Roberts nodded.  
Jessica nodded, “Okay.”  
“I’m going to get blood and urine samples and we can also do an ultrasound,” Dr. Roberts explained.  
Jessica nodded again.  
“Before we go any further, this will stay between the three of us for now right?” Hillary bit her lip. She knew that people would talk if they found out that the Governor’s daughter was pregnant out of wedlock and she wanted to protect Jessica’s welfare and mental state as much as possible. They could cross the bridge of the public finding out about Jessica’s pregnancy when Jessica was ready to announce it.  
“Of course, Hillary. This visit and any future visits will remain entirely confidential,” Dr. Roberts confirmed reassuringly.  
Hillary nodded, sighing slightly in relief.  
“Shall we continue then?” the doctor asked, gesturing to where the nurse had set up a blood draw.  
Jessica nodded, “Let’s go.” 

* * * * * 

“The results of the tests will take a few hours to come back from the lab but we can go ahead and do an ultrasound now,” Dr. Roberts said after Jessica's tests were finished.  
Jessica nodded, “How far along am I?”  
Hillary chuckled, “Sweetie, calm down.”  
Jessica sighed in nervous anticipation and frustration as she lay back on the exam table for the ultrasound.  
“When was your last period?” the doctor asked Jessica.  
“Two months ago,” Jessica answered. “But at first I thought I was just really stressed out from school and that it had messed up my cycle.”  
“Then I’d guess you’re about eight weeks along,” the doctor said as an ultrasound technician got set up.  
Jessica nodded, “Sounds about right. So I’m due in the middle of July?”  
“Somewhere around there,” The doctor nodded.  
Jessica nodded, letting everything sink in. “Can we do the ultrasound now?”  
The doctor nodded. “Sorry, this is going to be cold,” she apologized with a smile as she rubbed the gel on Jessica’s stomach.  
Jessica smiled in nervous anticipation as Hillary grabbed her hand.  
“I wonder if it's a boy or girl,” Jessica wondered aloud.  
“Honey, you’re only eight weeks along,” Hillary chuckled.  
“Yep, I was right, it looks like you’re about eight weeks along,” Dr. Roberts said as Jessica and Hillary looked at the image. “And here’s the heartbeat.”  
“Wow,” Jessica said in awe as she teared up. Everything was starting to sink in for real. “Can I get a picture after?”  
Dr. Roberts smiled, “Absolutely.”  
Jessica grinned. “I love her already. Or him.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary agreed, also starting to tear up slightly.  
Jessica grinned as they finished up and the nurse cleaned her up. “I love you,” she whispered, cradling her stomach.  
Hillary smiled at her eldest daughter while wiping her eyes.  
“I love you, too, mom,” Jessica smiled, noticing that her mother was getting emotional.  
“I love you, too, sweetie.”  
“When should I make another appointment with a doctor in New York?” Jessica asked Dr. Roberts.  
“In about four weeks or so,” the doctor answered.  
Jessica nodded. 

After saying their thank you’s and goodbyes, and after Jessica had gotten a sonogram to take with her, her and Hillary were on their way back home.  
“Oh, God, that was amazing!” Jessica gushed as they got into the car. “I already love him or her so much. I want to go to the art supply store to get a scrapbook to make a baby book.”  
Hillary smiled, “We will get you everything like that, don’t worry. I still have your baby book somewhere.”  
“Aww,” Jessica smiled.  
“You were the most beautiful baby ever,” Hillary smiled at the memories of Jessica when she was a newborn.  
“I wonder what my baby will look like,” Jessica mused. “Hopefully he or she will look like me.”  
Hillary nodded, “I’m hungry. Want to go grab some lunch?”  
“Sure, I’m _starving_ ,” Jessica agreed.  
“Italian?” Hillary suggested.  
“What about Thai? Chelsea told me about that new place that just opened up,” Jessica countered.  
Hillary shrugged, “Sure. Sounds good.” She started driving. “I thought you hated Thai food?”  
Jessica shook her head, “Not anymore. My apartment is across the street from a great Thai place. I get takeout from there for dinner all the time.”  
“Oh, okay,” Hillary nodded.  
“I think I should stay in the city after graduation,” Jessica mused. “I love my apartment. I love New York.”  
Hillary shrugged, “It’s up to you. You and the baby are always welcome to live with Bill and I in Chappaqua though. There’s plenty of room in the new house.”  
Jessica nodded and shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll see.”  
“Well you still have plenty of time to think about it,” Hillary assured her as she reached over to squeeze Jessica’s hand lovingly.  
Jessica nodded and smiled, “I’m excited though.”  
Hillary smiled, “We could go to the art store after lunch if you want.”  
“Yeah, okay,” Jessica nodded. “Let’s eat first though.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement as they arrived at the restaurant and she parked the car. “Yeah, I’m starving too.” 

“What should I name him or her?” Jessica asked after they were seated inside. Luckily the restaurant was pretty empty because it was after the lunch rush and most people were probably out doing last minute Christmas shopping but Hillary and Jessica still kept their voices low to prevent anyone from overhearing them discussing the baby.  
“Already thinking of names?” Hillary teased. “You just found out and you’re only eight weeks.”  
Jessica laughed. “Yeah I know. But, still,” she shrugged. “I like James for a boy.”  
Hillary nodded, “That’s cute.”  
“Ohhh, or what about Olivia for a girl?” Jessica mused out loud.  
“Yeah, Olivia is pretty,” Hillary agreed.  
“Oh my God, I’m gonna name her Olivia Hillary!” Jessica squealed. “Oh my God, it has to be a girl!”  
Hillary chuckled, “Well I’m glad you’re excited.”  
“I like Sophia, too,” Jessica realized.  
“Yeah, I like Sophia,” Hillary agreed, nodding. “It’s pretty, too.”  
“And I could call her Sophie!” Jessica realized as she rubbed her stomach. “I can’t wait for her to be born!” She grinned. “Ugh I wish I could find out the sex like now.”  
Hillary chuckled, “I know, honey. But time will fly by. Believe me.”  
“When should I tell everyone else?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary shrugged, “Whenever you want, sweetie. We should probably tell Bill sooner rather than later but everyone else, we can wait until you’re farther along. I think everything will be fine but just in case something goes wrong. We can wait a few weeks.”  
Jessica nodded. “When will I feel her kicking?”  
“You don’t know that it's a her, and in a few weeks,” Hillary answered.  
“It’s a her,” Jessica countered. “I think so anyways.”  
Hillary chuckled, “Well I had a feeling you and Chelsea were going to be girls and I was right so...” she shrugged while she continued laughing.  
“And right now she wants some Pad Thai,” Jessica joked.  
“Yeah, I’m sure she does,” Hillary chuckled.  
Jessica sighed, “I’m happy to be here in Arkansas with you and everybody else, but I already miss New York City.”  
Hillary sighed, “Ugh, me, too. Sometimes.”  
“You and Bill will have to try to find time to come visit me in the city after you move to Chappaqua,” Jessica said.  
“Oh, we definitely will,” Hillary agreed. “You won’t be able to get rid of us,” Hillary teased.  
“New York’s so great,” Jessica mused.  
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I met Bill. But sometimes I wish I never left New York,” she said quietly. “My life definitely hasn’t been what I ever expected it would be like at all.”  
“Why did we leave New York anyways?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary shrugged, “The pay and the position at my firm’s Chicago office was better. And I wanted to be closer to your grandparents and your uncles for your sake. And I missed your Aunt Melissa and Aunt Betsy, too. Plus the rent on our apartment in New York was way too expensive for such a tiny apartment. The opportunity in Chicago just opened up at the right time and I took it.”  
Jessica nodded.  
“But you were actually born in Connecticut while I was tying up loose ends, getting ready to take the bar exam, and trying to find a job,” Hillary explained. “And I somehow managed to pass the New York bar exam and I got the job there right after you were born.”  
“You were all by yourself in Connecticut?” Jessica frowned.  
Hillary nodded, “Your grandmother visited when she could and helped out for the first few months. My dad loved you when you were born but he was furious with me for getting pregnant during law school. It took us a long time after you were born to mend things. And your biological dad hated me.” She shrugged.  
“So you were alone when you gave birth?” Jessica asked, grimacing.  
Hillary nodded. “Your grandma wanted to be there but you came a few weeks early. It was pretty sudden and the last minute flight she was able to get was delayed. She came to meet you and help me out for a few days right after you were born. But yeah, I was pretty much alone while I was in labor with you except for the doctor and the nurses.”  
“You weren’t scared?” Jessica asked.  
“I distracted myself by studying for the bar exam,” Hillary chuckled. “After I got the epidural I was fine. Having to eventually go in for an emergency C-section by myself because of some complications was scary but I forgot all about the fear I felt after I held you in my arms for the first time.”  
“You _have_ to be in the delivery room with me,” Jessica frowned.  
“I will be,” Hillary assured her, giving Jessica a soft look and smile as she reached across the table to squeeze Jessica’s hand. “Bill, too. Hopefully.”  
Jessica nodded. “Sometimes I wonder what our life would have been like if we had never moved to Chicago and you had never met Bill.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary admitted. “Sometimes,” she whispered.  
“I’m sure you would have met someone but maybe it would have just been us,” Jessica said quietly.  
“Maybe,” Hillary shrugged. “I love Bill and your sisters _so much_ but I wouldn’t have minded that. We made a pretty good team, just us two, before I met Bill.”  
“I’m glad I have sisters though,” Jessica said. “I love them so much. I’m glad you met Bill.” She smiled.  
Hillary smiled and nodded, “I’m glad for those things, too.”  
Jessica smiled, “You and Bill are so cute together.”  
Hillary chuckled, “We try. I love him so much.”  
“I’m scared, mama,” Jessica admitted. “I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a baby.”  
“It seems scary but you’ll be okay. I promise,” Hillary reassured her daughter. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”  
Jessica nodded and smiled, “I’m _so_ glad I have you, mom.”  
Hillary smiled, “And I’m glad that I have you, sweetheart. Don’t worry, you’ll be a great mom. I’m sure of it.”  
Jessica nodded, “Thanks, mama.” They were interrupted when their food came.  
“Finally!” Jessica said as she eagerly dug in.  
“Whoa, slow down,” Hillary teased.  
“I’m _so_ hungry, mom,” Jessica said as she happily ate. “I still can’t believe I’m pregnant. It’s crazy. But I already love her so much.”  
“Don’t get your hopes up about having a girl,” Hillary reminded her.  
Jessica sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. I want it to be a girl though. And I want to name her Sophia.” She absentmindedly touched her stomach. “I’m going to name her after you, too. Sophia Hillary Rodham Clinton.” She smiled to herself.  
Hillary smiled, “I like it.”  
“And I can dress her up and put cute little bows in her hair…” Jessica rambled excitedly.  
“Jessica, honey,” Hillary cut her off. “Taking care of a baby is more than just dressing it up in cute outfits. It’s not a doll. Another tiny person is depending on you for _everything_.”  
“I know it's not a doll, mom!” Jessica snapped. “I’m not stupid,” she rolled her eyes.  
“I’m just telling you!” Hillary argued. “Being alone with a baby is a lot of work. That’s all.”  
“Well, I won’t be alone,” Jessica argued. “I’ll have you, Derek, and Bill.”  
Hillary nodded, “I know. But it's still a lot of work. I’m just warning you.”  
“Well, I’ll be fine,” Jessica insisted. “I’ll figure things out.”  
Hillary nodded, “Fine.”  
“Although I don’t think I’ll be fine with labor,” Jessica grimaced at the thought. “I wish I could just get a C-section.”  
“Ummm, speaking from experience, you don’t want a C-section, baby,” Hillary argued. “I had to get them with you and Chelsea and I definitely don’t recommend going through that.”  
Jessica shrugged, “I just can’t imagine squeezing this thing out.” She chuckled.  
“You’ll manage,” Hillary chuckled. “The pain will be worth it once he or she is here. Believe me.”  
Jessica nodded and chuckled. “Okay whatever you say, mama. I can pay,” she offered as they finished up.  
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it, baby,” Hillary assured her.  
“You sure?” Jessica checked.  
Hillary nodded.  
“Thanks,” Jessica smiled. “I love you, mom.”  
Hillary smiled, “Love you, too.” 

* * * * *

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Jessica said as they arrived back at the Governor’s mansion a while later. “I need a nap,” Jessica added as she flopped down on the living room couch.  
“Take one then,” Hillary said, sitting down beside Jessica.  
Jessica nodded.  
“I need one, too,” Hillary yawned, and chuckled.  
Jessica chuckled and happily sighed as she snuggled up to her mother on the couch.  
“I miss when you were little,” Hillary chuckled, kissing Jessica’s forehead. “You would cuddle with me and watch cartoons.”  
“Aww,” Jessica said.  
“And now you’re all grown up,” Hillary sighed. “And having your own baby.”  
“Stop it, mom,” Jessica awkwardly laughed.  
Hillary sighed, “You were my baby.”  
“I still am, mom,” Jessica chuckled.  
“Oh, hi!” Bill greeted, coming into the room, surprised to see the two women home.  
Hillary grinned, “Hey, honey. You’re home early.”  
“Yeah, I was able to wrap things up a bit early today,” Bill smiled. “How did the doctor’s appointment go? Feeling better?” He asked Jessica.  
“Um, yeah,” Jessica awkwardly cleared her throat, not knowing what to say. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”  
“So what was wrong?” Bill asked.  
“Oh, nothing,” Jessica vaguely shrugged, keeping the ruse up.  
“Yeah, I guess she has a twenty-four hour virus or something,” Hillary shrugged, playing along.  
“Oh, okay,” Bill shrugged.  
“So, what are you up to the rest of the night?” Hillary asked Bill.  
Bill shrugged again, “I was thinking of trying to make last minute dinner reservations tonight for us. It’s rare that we’re all together as a family. We might as well take advantage.”  
Hillary nodded, “Sure. That sounds nice.”  
“I’m still full from lunch,” Jessica chuckled.  
“Yeah let’s wait awhile. We just went for Thai food,” Hillary explained to Bill.  
“Oh, okay,” Bill nodded.  
“What have you been up to all day?” Hillary asked him.  
“Oh, you know...just working,” Bill vaguely said.  
Hillary nodded. “I see. Well Jess and I are going to take a nap.”  
Bill nodded, “Okay. Hayley’s napping too so I guess I’ll go finish up my Christmas shopping for a bit before Chelsea gets home from school.”  
Hillary nodded, “Sounds good.” She got up from the couch and pecked Bill’s lips. “I’ll see you later then.”  
“See ya,” Bill said, kissing Jessica goodbye on the head.  
“Bye,” Jessica said as Bill walked away. “I can’t believe we just lied to him,” she remarked to her mom after he had left.  
“You can tell him about the baby if you want to, honey,” Hillary said. “He should know sooner rather than later.”  
Jessica shook her head, “No, not yet. I’ll tell him closer to Christmas.”  
Hillary nodded.  
“Just in case something goes wrong,” Jessica explained.  
Hillary nodded again. “Whatever you wish.”  
“Thanks for not getting mad,” Jessica gratefully said. “About the baby.”  
Hillary shrugged, “You’re an adult. You’ll finish school. You can handle it. I know it.”  
Jessica nodded and sleepily smiled. She yawned and chuckled. “I better go take my nap now.”  
Hillary chuckled, “Okay, sweetie. See you in a little while.”  
Jessica nodded and went upstairs to her bedroom.

* * * * *

When she woke up from her nap a few hours later she headed downstairs. Hayley was playing in her play-pen in the living room while Hillary and Chelsea were watching a movie together.  
“Hey,” Jessica smiled, sitting down on the couch beside Hillary.  
“Hey, sis,” Chelsea smiled. “How was your nap? Feeling better?”  
Jessica nodded, “I’m feeling much more refreshed now.”  
Hillary smiled, “Good, I’m glad.”  
“Where’s Dad?” Jessica asked.  
Chelsea shrugged, “Not here.”  
“He should be home soon. He wanted us to go out for dinner,” Hillary said. “I guess he’s still out Christmas shopping.”  
“I’ll call him,” Jessica offered.  
Hillary nodded.  
Jessica got up and went to go use the phone in the kitchen to reach him.  
“Hello?” Bill answered after a couple of rings.  
“Bill, where are you?” Jessica asked. “Mom and Chelsea are wondering.”  
“Oh...I um, went last minute Christmas shopping,” Bill said.  
“Is that your wife?” Jessica heard an unfamiliar woman's voice in the background.  
Jessica frowned, “That doesn’t sound like Christmas shopping, Bill.”  
Bill sighed, “Okay, I’m not out Christmas shopping. I’m...I’m with someone.”  
“Yeah, I gathered that much!” Jessica said shortly. “What the hell are you up to, Bill?”  
Bill sighed again, “Don’t say anything to your mother.”  
“Bill!” Jessica hissed, shocked and disgusted.  
“Jessica...you don’t understand.”  
“What’s going on?” Jessica demanded.  
“Please don’t tell your mom,” Bill begged.  
“Tell my mom _what_?” Jessica snapped. “That you’re fucking some other woman?”  
“Bill,” The woman in the background whined. “Come back to bed!”  
“I’m sorry, Jess. I can’t talk right now,” Bill said.  
“I can’t believe you, Bill,” Jessica angrily said before abruptly hanging up.  
She shook her head and silently fumed for a few minutes. Her mom didn’t really talk about her stepfather’s past philandering but Jessica was smart enough to have put the pieces together. She knew Bill had cheated on her mother in the past but her mother had never left him. His flaws notwithstanding, he was still a great husband in other ways. However, Despite Bill’s past behaviour, this was the last thing Jessica had ever expected from him. Especially during the holidays.  
“Jessica?” Jessica heard her mom say behind her. “Were you able to reach him?”  
Jessica took a few deep breaths to calm down before turning around. She managed to plaster on a smile and act like everything was normal for her mother’s sake. “He’s still Christmas shopping,” she lied.  
“Oh...okay,” Hillary nodded.  
“So I guess we should just go out for dinner without him,” Jessica managed to calmly say. 

To Be Continued…


	3. A Very Un-Merry Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and support on the last chapter. It made my heart very happy!  
> As you all can probably tell already, this fic is going to be a rollercoaster ride lol. Already, my chapters are so much longer than they were in From This Moment On. So buckle up and enjoy the ride :)

“Wake up, Jessie!”  
Jessica moaned quietly as her mother’s voice woke her up from a deep sleep.  
“Wake up, honey! It’s Christmas!” Hillary said, excitedly. “Bill and your sisters are already awake.”  
Jessica smiled to herself as she started becoming more alert to the world. Things had been tense for her the past few days between trying to keep her pregnancy a secret from Bill and trying to keep Bill’s secret from her mom and Chelsea, but she was excited to have a fun, relaxing, and tradition-filled Christmas at home with her family that day. In the end, Derek had decided to stay in New York City so she was looking forward to spending some quality time with her parents and siblings.  
“Come downstairs, honey,” Hillary said. “I made rice krispie squares and apple cinnamon muffins.” Hillary and Bill gave their staff Christmas off so that they could spend the day with their families and one of the things that Hillary loved about Christmas was baking for her family. It was a tradition that had started ever since her and Jessica’s very first Christmas with Bill as a family of three nearly twenty years ago.  
“It smells amazing,” Jessica smiled as she sat up in bed. “And I’m starving. But I’m so tired!”  
“Oh, get up,” Hillary playfully rolled her eyes. “Come on, everyone else is already up. We want to start opening presents.”  
Jessica nodded and jumped out of bed. “Merry Christmas!” She squealed as she ran downstairs.  
“Merry Christmas, Jess!” Chelsea excitedly said.  
“Merry Christmas, sis,” Jessica repeated, as she hugged Chelsea.  
“This is for you,” Chelsea handed Jessica her Christmas present.  
Jessica smiled as she opened the card. She saw there was a gift certificate for a fancy New York City spa inside.  
“Aww,” Jessica said, touched by her younger sister’s thoughtful present. “Thank you, Chels. I’ll be needing this soon,” she chuckled to herself.  
“I figured,” Chelsea winked knowingly.  
They happily exchanged and opened presents for the next little while while they drank hot beverages and ate the treats prepared by Hillary. Jessica had just opened her presents from her mom and Bill.  
“Aww, thanks Bill!” Jessica said, admiring the necklace and earrings that her stepdad had gifted her.  
Bill grinned, “You’re welcome, darling. I’m glad you like them.”  
Jessica hugged him. “I have a surprise for you,” she suddenly said, feeling like it was the right time to tell him about her pregnancy.  
Bill smiled, “What is it?”  
“You’ll see,” Jessica said nervously, handing him a card.  
Bill grinned excitedly as he opened the envelope but then a frown of confusion fell upon his face as he opened the Christmas card and saw a sonogram tucked inside the card. “Huh? Jessica, are you…?” he trailed off, unable to say it out loud.  
Jessica weakly smiled and slowly nodded, trying to gauge her stepfather’s reaction to this news.  
“Oh,” was all Bill managed to say.  
“Say something,” Jessica said, nervously, knowing it took a lot to render her stepdad speechless.  
“Wow,” Bill managed to get out.  
Jessica frowned slightly.  
“Honey?” Hillary prompted.  
“I’m just surprised...is all,” Bill awkwardly cleared his throat. “You knew about this?” he asked Hillary.  
Hillary nodded. “I accidentally walked in on her after she took a pregnancy test,” she explained.  
“But it's a good surprise...right, Bill?” Jessica asked him.  
Bill shrugged, “I guess so. I honestly don’t know what to say. I didn’t see this coming at all. I can’t believe you all kept this from me,” he said, realizing by her lack of a reaction that Chelsea must have also known about it.  
Jessica frowned and sighed, “Well, Merry Christmas, Bill.”  
“Um...is Melissa still stopping by later?” Bill asked Hillary awkwardly, trying to change the subject. Hillary was still best friends with Melissa all these years later despite the distance between them, and they tried to take advantage of holidays to spend time together when they could.  
“Um, I think so,” Hillary answered, clearing her throat. “Her and Brad have Christmas presents for us.”  
Bill nodded and silently handed Hillary her Christmas present.  
“Thanks, honey,” Hillary smiled.  
“Um, here,” Jessica said, awkwardly, handing Bill his actual Christmas present.  
“Thanks,” Bill said stiffly, accepting the gift bag from his stepdaughter. He unwrapped the tissue paper to find a new tie. “Thanks, Jess,” he said gruffly.  
“Um, there might be something else inside the bag, dad,” Chelsea said, trying to help her sister out, knowing what Bill’s actual Christmas gift was.  
“Huh?” Bill said, a confused look on his face as he opened the bag to see what he had missed. A legal document in an envelope had also been tucked away inside the gift bag. He curiously opened the envelope and the document and he was pleasantly surprised when he realized it was a legal document for a name change.   
He grinned, forgetting all about how surprised and upset he was just moments ago, “Jessica!”  
Jessica grinned, “Jessica Rodham Clinton now. And this baby is going to be a Rodham Clinton, too,” she rubbed her belly. “Since Derek is being an a-hole and won’t talk to me right now,” she rolled her eyes.  
Hillary frowned, “What happened, honey?”  
Jessica shrugged, “I thought he was excited about the baby but suddenly he started freaking out about becoming a dad and he stopped answering my calls.”  
“Aww, I’m sorry, Jess,” Chelsea frowned.  
Jessica shrugged again, “Oh well. It’s not like he would have been much help anyways. He’s too immature. He reminds me of Nick.” She rolled her eyes as she thought of her biological father. “Anyways, more presents!” She tried changing the subject. “And I’m still hungry,” She giggled.  
“Let’s go have breakfast,” Hillary suggested.  
“I want more hot cocoa,” Jessica said.  
“Me, too,” Chelsea piped in.  
“Well, let’s go get some,” Hillary smiled at her oldest daughters as she scooped up Hayley.  
“Thanks for making muffins and rice krispie treats, mom,” Chelsea said.  
“Well of course. It’s a Christmas tradition,” Hillary said. 

“Since I was like four,” Jessica said, smiling.  
“Yep, that was our first Christmas with Bill,” Hillary smiled fondly at the memory and the nostalgia. “And I was pregnant with you,” she smiled at Chelsea.  
Bill smiled at the memory of that first Christmas with Hillary and Jessica, too.  
“What did we do for Christmas before you met Bill, mom?” Jessica asked curiously, not remembering much of what life was like before her mom met Bill.  
Hillary shrugged, “We usually went to your grandparent’s house and stayed with them for a few days. I love your grandparents and uncles but by New Year’s Eve I was ready to tear my hair out and couldn’t wait to get back to New York,” she chuckled.  
Jessica laughed.  
“And now you’re twenty-one,” Hillary teared up wistfully.  
“Oh my God, stop it, mom,” Jessica chuckled.  
“Okay, okay,” Hillary chuckled as she started making scrambled eggs for everyone. She wiped her eyes. “I still can’t believe I’m going to become a grandmother already.”  
Jessica smiled and rubbed her stomach.  
“You need to find an obstetrician in New York when you go back to school,” Hillary said to her.  
Jessica nodded, “I know, mom. I’m not stupid.”  
“I know you’re not stupid. I’m just making sure,” Hillary said, blowing out an exasperated breath.  
Jessica chuckled. She got up from the kitchen table and gave her mom a big hug. “I love you so much, mom. Merry Christmas.”  
Hillary grinned, “Merry Christmas, baby.” She stood up on her tippy toes and pecked Jessica’s cheek as Bill entered the kitchen.  
“Oh my God, I’m _always_ hungry now,” Jessica whined, witnessing her mom cook breakfast. She went and made herself another mug of hot cocoa while Hillary cooked.  
Hillary chuckled at Jessica.  
“I can make pancakes,” Chelsea offered.  
“No, I’ll make them,” Jessica offered. “You can help me, Chels.”  
Chelsea shrugged and nodded just as they heard Hillary’s phone beep with a text message. 

“Merry Christmas!” They heard a few minutes later. Hillary’s best friend Melissa had arrived for her visit.  
“Hey!” Jessica grinned, giving her a hug. “Merry Christmas.”  
She decided to leave the pancake making to Bill and Chelsea and went to go spend time with her mom and Melissa in the living room.  
“Where’s Brad?” Hillary asked Melissa.  
“He’s coming for dinner but he wanted to give us some girl time,” Melissa smiled.  
“Aww, that’s sweet of him. I’ve missed you,” Hillary said to her best friend.  
“I missed you, too, Hill. And you also, Jess.”  
“We missed you like crazy for sure,” Jessica said.  
“Here, I got you a Christmas present,” Hillary said to Melissa and went to go look for it under the tree.  
Melissa grinned, “I got you one, too. And you, too, Jess.”  
Jessica grinned excitedly. “What is it?” She ripped it open to find a beautiful necklace. “Aww, thanks so much, Mel. I love it!” She reached into her pocket for the sonogram. “Look!”  
Melissa gasped, “You’re...pregnant?”  
Jessica excitedly nodded.  
“Oh my God!” Melissa squealed. “I’m going to totally spoil her.”  
Jessica giggled, “I think _everyone_ is going to spoil her.”  
“We don’t even know that it’s a her yet, ladies,” Hillary chuckled.  
Jessica shrugged, “It is. I just know it is.”  
“Well, don’t be disappointed if it isn’t,” Hillary pointed out.  
“Ugh, I want to find out,” Jessica sighed.  
“Well, you still have a few weeks to go,” Hillary said.  
Jessica sighed again in exasperation.  
Hillary chuckled, “I always knew you and Chelsea were going to be girls.”  
“See?” Jessica said.  
Hillary shrugged in response.  
“Mama,” They heard Hayley cooing from the kitchen.  
Hillary grinned and went back to the kitchen, “What is it, baby girl?”  
Hayley cooed as Hillary scooped her up.  
“Are you having a good Christmas, Princess?” Hillary asked her, kissing Hayley’s forehead.  
Hayley squealed loudly.  
Hillary chuckled, “I guess that’s a yes.”  
“The pancakes are ready!” Chelsea called to Jessica and Melissa from the kitchen.  
“Ugh, I need to stop eating everything in sight,” Jessica chuckled as they all sat down for breakfast. “I’m gonna get so fat.”  
“Aww, no, you’re going to look cute,” Hillary assured her.  
Suddenly the phone started ringing, interrupting their family breakfast.  
“Who could that be?” Bill asked, frowning in confusion.   
Jessica rolled her eyes, “It’s probably my dad.”  
“Answer it,” Hillary urged.  
“I don’t want to,” Jessica whined.  
“Honey, he’s your dad,” Hillary encouraged.  
“Ugh, I hate him,” Jessica said.  
“You do not,” Hillary huffed in frustration. “Go on, answer it.”  
Jessica rolled her eyes and got up from the table to answer the phone. “Hello?”  
“Hi, honey!” Nick happily greeted. “Merry Christmas.”  
Jessica rolled her eyes again. “Hi, dad. Hold on, I’m going into the other room.” She went into the living room and picked up the extension in there. “So...Merry Christmas, I guess.”  
“Merry Christmas, baby!” Nick repeated. “How are you doing? How’s school?”  
“School’s fine. I’m fine. I’m...pregnant,” Jessica admitted.  
Nick started laughing, thinking she was kidding.  
“Dad!” Jessica harshly said. “I’m not joking.”  
“What...But you’re only twenty, honey. That’s too young to be having a baby.”  
“I’m twenty-one now, you dumbass,” Jessica replied, rolling her eyes to herself.   
“Don’t talk to me that way. I’m your father!” Nick warned.  
“Yeah, well act like one sometimes!” Jessica argued.  
“Spoiled brat,” She heard Sharon, her dad’s girlfriend say in the background.  
“Oh my God,” Jessica moaned. “I hate her, dad.”  
“Stop it, Jessica,” Nick warned.  
Jessica rolled her eyes to herself again.   
“So...I’m gonna be a grandpa I guess,” Nick awkwardly said. He nervously cleared his throat.   
“Yeah, looks like it,” Jessica sighed.  
“What?” She heard Sharon screech.  
Jessica groaned, “Do you have me on speaker phone, dad?”  
“Well, duh,” Nick scoffed.  
Jessica sighed, “Why did I even tell you all this? It’s not like I’m ever going to let you be around my child. So yeah...bye.”  
“Jessie, wait.”  
“What?” Jessica snapped. “And don’t call me Jessie.”  
“He can call you whatever he wants,” Sharon piped in.  
“Oh, my God, shut up!” Jessica said to her. “Listen, I’m hanging up now.”  
“Jess, wait,” Nick tried. “Are you still coming to visit before you go back to school?”  
“Unfortunately, yes,” Jessica sighed. “Mom’s making me.”  
“Awesome,” Nick said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”  
“We can’t wait,” Sharon sarcastically said.  
“Shut up, you stupid fucking bitch!” Jessica exclaimed, gritting her teeth.   
“Jessica!” Hillary exclaimed at her, hearing Jessica’s outburst from the other room.  
Jessica suddenly burst into tears and abruptly hung up.  
Hillary walked into the living room after hearing Jessica’s sobs. “What happened, honey?”  
“He’s such an ass!” Jessica cried. “I hate him! I don’t want to visit him!”  
“Sweetie, what happened?” Hillary asked again, pulling Jessica in for a hug.  
“I told him I was pregnant and he _laughed_ ,” Jessica sobbed. “And Sharon was being a stupid bitch as usual. I hate her so much.”  
“Sweetheart, you have to visit him. He’s your dad,” Hillary calmly said, rubbing Jessica’s back.  
“No, I don’t!” Jessica shook her head. “I’m twenty-one. I can make my own decisions.”  
“I know that, Jess,” Hillary nodded. “But you’re still his daughter, too. He deserves to see you.”  
“Please don’t make me, mom,” Jessica begged. “I hate him and he hates me.”  
“He doesn’t hate you,” Hillary said. “You’re his just as much as you are mine,” she harshly sighed. She hated to have to point that out but it was a harsh truth.   
Bill came into the living room after hearing the yelling and the crying. “What’s going on?”  
“She’s making me visit my dad before I go back to school,” Jessica sniffed. “But you’re my dad! Not him.”  
“Aww, sweetheart,” Bill pulled her in for a hug and tightly squeezed her. He soothingly rubbed her back.  
“You still have to go visit Nick, sweetheart,” Hillary sighed, knowing Bill was sensitive about not being Jessica’s biological father.  
Jessica started crying again. “I hate him, Mom! And that bitch of a girlfriend.”  
“Stop it with that kind of language in front of your siblings,” Hillary warned.  
“I don’t care!” Jessica snapped at Hillary before she stormed upstairs.  
Hillary harshly sighed as they heard Jessica's bedroom door loudly slam shut upstairs.  
“Don’t make her go to Florida,” Bill said.  
“I have to!” Hillary insisted.  
“No, you don’t,” Bill argued. “She’s twenty-one. She can make the decision for herself, Hill.”  
“She’s his kid, too,” Hillary pointed out.  
Bill sighed sadly.  
Hillary sighed, “Let me try talking to her.”

* * * * * 

Hillary knocked on Jessica’s bedroom door a few minutes later.  
“What?” Jessica snapped.  
“Can we come in?” Bill asked through the closed bedroom door.  
Jessica sighed, “Fine.”  
They walked in and Jessica was in bed crying underneath the covers. Bill and Hillary sat on the bed with her.  
“I’m not going to make you go to Florida, honey,” Hillary relented.  
Jessica sniffed and looked up at her mother, “Really?”  
“I think you should. You’re his daughter, too,” Hillary pointed out. “But Bill is right. I can’t force you. You’re an adult now.”  
Jessica nodded, “We’ll see. I’ll think about it.” She looked at Bill. “Would you mind if I still went to Florida?”  
“Of course not,” Bill assured her. “He is your father after all.”  
Jessica sighed, “Well, you’re more my father than he is.”  
Bill sighed. “I know, honey,” he said sadly.  
“Ugh, I hate him so much,” Jessica fumed.  
“Okay, that’s enough, Jessica,” Hillary said, feeling exasperated.  
“Sorry, I got so upset,” Jessica apologized to her parents.  
“It’s alright,” Bill reassured her, stroking her long blonde hair.  
“He’s my father, but you’re my _dad_ ,” Jessica tearfully said. She sniffed.  
Bill sighed and rubbed her back, “I know, sweetheart.”  
Jessica sighed, “I’ll go visit him.”  
“Great,” Hillary nodded and kissed Jessica’s forehead.  
“I love you,” Jessica said to her.  
“And I love you,” Hillary replied. “So does your father.”  
“And I love you, too,” Bill piped in.  
Jessica softly smiled and hugged Bill.  
“I’m sorry if I overreacted about the baby thing,” Bill realized. “You’ll be a fantastic mom, honey. And your mom and I will support you all the way.” He gave her a gentle squeeze.  
Jessica nodded and smiled, “Thanks.”  
“Come on,” Hillary said. “Let’s go back downstairs.”  
Jessica nodded. “I should probably call my dad and apologize.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I think that’s probably a good idea.”  
Jessica nodded and sighed.

* * * * *

After talking to Nick, Jessica joined her family back downstairs, now in a much better mood.  
“Ugh, I wish I could have some,” she said when she noticed Melissa opening up a bottle of champagne to make mimosas with. “I turn twenty-one and I can’t even drink,” Jessica realized, chuckling.  
Melissa sympathetically smiled at her while Jessica poured some orange juice for herself.  
“Ugh, I’m so tired,” Jessica yawned.  
“You can go take a nap if you want,” Hillary said to her, remembering how exhausting pregnancy could be, especially the first trimester.  
Jessica nodded, “Thanks.” She headed upstairs.  
“I want to go back to bed, too,” Chelsea said.  
Hillary chuckled, “Then go.”  
Chelsea smiled and went upstairs.  
Hayley yawned and cooed, “Sweepy.”  
Hillary chuckled, “Maybe we should all go take naps.”  
“Well, I’m not tired,” Bill said. “I’m going to go get us coffee and donuts. How does that sound?”  
“On Christmas?” Hillary asked him, quizzically. “Isn’t everything closed?”  
I’m sure I’ll find something that’s open,” Bill shrugged.  
“Well, okay…” Hillary shrugged.  
“I guess I’ll head back to my hotel for a bit,” Melissa said. “Brad and I will be back later for dinner.”  
“But it feels like you just got here,” Hillary said. “Please stay a while longer. Have a glass of wine with me and we can catch up.”  
“I can come with you, Bill, so the girls can nap?” Melissa suggested instead.  
“No!” Bill said a little too quickly and more forcefully than he intended.  
Melissa and Hillary both raised their eyebrows at him.  
“I mean...I’m just getting coffee. I’ll be back soon,” Bill stammered out. “See you all in a few,” he said quickly before rushing out to a waiting town car.   
Hillary frowned in confusion. “Okay, that was weird.”  
“Definitely,” Melissa agreed as she nodded in agreement.  
“He’s been acting off the past few weeks actually,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip. “I know this is a time of transition in both of our lives and he took losing the last election really hard but still. It’s strange.”  
“Hmm…” Melissa said.  
“He seemed _really_ weird when he got back from speaking at that conference last month,” Hillary realized.  
“Any weird credit card statements?” Melissa asked.  
Hillary shook her head and frowned, “No...not yet. I’ll keep my eye out though.”  
“Should we go through his stuff?” Melissa asked.  
Hillary sighed, “What if I’m worrying for nothing? He really has changed a lot the past couple of years.”  
“I mean, better safe than sorry?” Melissa pointed out. Hillary wasn't much of a confider but Melissa was one of the few people she had confided in over her marital woes throughout the past seventeen years.   
Hillary sighed and nodded, “You’re right.” She scooped up a drowsy Hayley and went upstairs. After putting a now sleeping Hayley in her crib in the nursery and grabbing the baby monitor, she and Melissa went down the hall to Jessica’s room. After carefully creeping in, Hillary gently shook her awake.  
“Huh?” Jessica moaned sleepily.  
“Wake up, Jess,” Hillary said.  
“What?” Jessica groaned, annoyed at being woken up.  
“I need your help with something,” Hillary said. “Bill’s been acting weird lately.”  
“Weird how?” Jessica asked, as nonchalantly as she could muster as she sat up in bed.  
“He acted really weird when Melissa offered to go get coffee with him just now, and he’s just been...I don’t know...off lately,” Hillary explained.  
“It’s probably nothing, mom,” Jessica said as casually as possible. She shrugged. “Now, can I go back to sleep? This baby is sucking the life force out of me.”  
“Well, I’m still going through his things,” Hillary told her eldest daughter. She had thought Bill was finally over his infidelity problems once and for all but if he was having an affair, she wanted to know for certain.  
“No, no, no. Don’t do that, mom,” Jessica urged, a little more frantically than she meant to.  
“Why not?” Hillary asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering if her daughter knew something.  
“Because, mom,” Jessica said. “Just...don’t. Okay?”  
“You know something,” Hillary fiercely accused.  
“No, I don’t!” Jessica insisted then sighed. “Fine, let’s go through his things.” They might as well rip the band-aid off, Jessica realized. Her mother deserved to know. “This isn’t a good idea though, mom. I don’t think he’s hiding anything.” Jessica tried to be as calm and nonchalant as possible. Maybe her mom would change her mind.  
“Well, you don’t know that for sure,” Hillary shrugged, feeling nervous. What the heck did Jessica know?  
“Yes, I do know, mom. He loves you so much,” Jessica assured Hillary in a last ditch effort.  
“Well, I want to make sure,” Hillary sighed. “I’m worried about him.”  
Jessica sighed, “Fine. Let’s go.”

* * * * *

“There’s nothing out of the ordinary,” Jessica shrugged, as she opened and closed the dresser drawers in her parent’s bedroom. Bill had done a good job of hiding whatever affair he was having.  
“Hmmm,” she heard Hillary said.  
Jessica looked up to see her mom flipping through her dad’s day planner which had been sitting on the nightstand. His staff kept track of his official schedule but Bill also kept a personal day planner for his own records and for a quick reference if need be.  
“What did you find?” Jessica asked.  
“Last month when he was supposed to be speaking at a conference in Phoenix, it says he was in Spain,” Hillary bit her lip.  
“I’m sure it was a misunderstanding or something, mom. There has to be an explanation,” Jessica sighed. She hated lying to her mother.  
“Why would the Governor of Arkansas need to go to Spain, Jessica?” Hillary asked sharply. “Without his family? Without telling anyone?”  
“Like I said, there’s probably a perfectly reasonable explanation!” Jessica argued.  
“You know something,” Hillary accused again.  
“Find anything?” Melissa asked, waltzing into the room from where she had been checking things out in the adjoining en-suite master bathroom.  
Hillary showed her the trip to Spain in Bill’s calendar. “He said he was in Phoenix, Arizona that week to speak at some kind of leaders in business conference.”  
Melissa frowned, “This is not good.”  
“No, it isn’t!” Hillary hysterically said.  
“I’m sure it isn’t what it looks like,” Jessica tried.  
“Oh shut up. You know something and you aren’t telling me,” Hillary snapped at Jessica.  
“Who’s...Alexis?” Melissa squinted at the day planner. “It says ‘Trip to Spain with Alexis.’”  
“She’s probably just a new aide or staffer or something,” Jessica shrugged.  
“Tell me what you know _right now_ Jessica Dorothy Rodham Clinton!” Hillary demanded.  
Jessica winced and sighed. She was officially busted. “Last week I called him and...he was with her.”  
“And you didn’t tell me?” Hillary asked with wide eyes.   
“He told me not to!” Jessica argued. “What was I supposed to do?”  
“Why did you listen to him? I can’t believe this! I can’t believe he lied...I can’t believe _you_ lied…” Hillary ranted.  
“I’m sorry!” Jessica teared up, her chest was heaving. “Please don’t be mad at me, mom. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to ruin Christmas.” She sighed, realizing the irony of her statement. Christmas was definitely ruined.  
“Oh my God,” Hillary teared up, the realization sinking in.  
“Mom, it’s going to be okay,” Jessica said quietly.  
“No, it's not!” Hillary cried. “It’s _not_ okay. _Nothing_ is okay!”  
Jessica hugged her tightly as her mom began sobbing.  
“Why didn’t you just tell me, Jessie?” Hillary cried.   
"I’m sorry,” Jessica whispered into Hillary's hair.  
“I can’t believe this,” Hillary cried. “How could he do this to me again?”  
“I’m so sorry, Hill,” Melissa quietly said. She reassuringly and gently rubbed Hillary’s shoulder.  
“You and Bill can get divorced and you can come live with me in New York,” Jessica assured her mom.  
“Oh, I wish it were that simple, honey,” Hillary bitterly laughed, feeling like she was having an out of body experience. This wasn’t the first time this had happened but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt any more than it did all of the other times. And knowing that her oldest daughter knew and didn’t tell her definitely added to the sting of things.  
“It’s okay, Hill,” Melissa soothed, gently rubbing Hillary’s back.  
“I should have seen this coming,” Hillary realized.  
“I’m sorry, mom. I should have told you as soon as I found out,” Jessica sighed, feeling absolutely terrible. She hated seeing her mom in so much pain.  
They heard Bill coming back home.  
“Want me to send him up here?” Jessica nervously asked.  
Hillary quickly nodded.  
Jessica nodded and left the room with Melissa following behind her.  
“Um, mom wants to speak to you,” Jessica awkwardly said to Bill as she walked downstairs into the foyer. “She’s in the bedroom.”  
“Oh, okay,” Bill nodded. He nervously bit his lip. Jessica didn’t seem like herself. He quickly left the coffee and doughnuts that he had picked up in the kitchen and went upstairs to the master bedroom. He walked into the bedroom to find Hillary hysterically crying.  
“What’s wrong?” He asked her, alarmed.  
“This,” She shoved the day planner in his hands. “What the fuck is this, Bill? What the fuck were you doing in Spain with another woman?”  
“Oh…” Bill said, dumbfounded and shocked that she had gone through his planner. The wheels were turning in his mind to come up with an excuse that sounded plausible.  
“What the hell, William?” Hillary loudly exclaimed. “Who the _fuck_ is Alexis?”  
“I’m sorry,” Bill looked down at the ground. “I’m so sorry, Hillary,” was all he could say.  
“So, she’s your...girlfriend?” Hillary seethed.  
“No, not girlfriend exactly…”  
Hillary angrily raised an eyebrow.  
“She’s just a...friend,” Bill managed to get out.  
“Oh, I see. She’s just a _friend_ that you took to fucking _Spain_!” Hillary yelled.  
“Hillary, I’m sorry,” Bill said again. “I love you.”  
“God, I’m so stupid,” Hillary rolled her eyes, more frustrated with herself for not seeing the signs sooner. “I should have seen this coming.” She burst into tears again.  
“I'm so so sorry, Hillary,” Bill shook his head, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.  
“The hell you are!” Hillary snapped. “This was the last straw, Bill. This is the last time I’ll ever go through this pain. I want a divorce.” She walked over to the closet and grabbed a suitcase out of it. “I’m taking the kids and getting the hell out of this house!”  
“No, don’t go,” Bill tried. “It’s our house. At least it's our house for a few more weeks.”  
Hillary shook her head. “I’m leaving you, Bill.” She started throwing random clothes, the first things she could grab from her drawers into the suitcase.  
“Stop it, Hillary! Let’s talk,” Bill tried.  
Hillary shook her head. “I’m getting a lawyer tomorrow.”  
“Please,” Bill begged. “Don’t leave me. I love you!”  
“Shut up!” Hillary yelled with tears streaming down her face. “You obviously don’t.”  
“Hillary, it’s Christmas,” Bill tried to reason.  
She sighed and stopped packing, remembering it was Christmas Day. She didn't want to ruin Christmas for Chelsea and Hayley. “Don’t say anything to Chelsea yet. We’ll get through today and _you_ can tell her tomorrow. But tomorrow you’re telling her and I’m taking the girls and going to a hotel.”  
“Fine,” Bill sighed. “I want a divorce, too. I haven’t been happy for a while.”  
“Obviously,” Hillary muttered. “Who the hell is Alexis anyways?”  
Bill sighed. “I met her at work. She’s an administrative assistant.”  
Hillary nodded and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go back downstairs.” She quickly wiped her tears.

* * * * *

Hillary came downstairs a few minutes later after making herself look presentable again. She put on a fake smile while she walked into the living room and saw that the girls were awake from their naps.  
“Hey, guys,” Hillary chirped. “Let’s watch a movie or something.”  
“Were you and dad fighting?” Chelsea asked.  
“No,” Hillary quickly said, realizing the yelling must have woken the girls up.  
“Yes you were. I heard you,” Chelsea argued.  
Hillary nervously laughed, “It’s nothing, Chelsea. Just a little spat. Don’t worry about it.”  
“Okay…” Chelsea said with raised eyebrows, not quite convinced.  
“I’m gonna get going,” Melissa said, wanting to give the family some privacy.  
Hillary sighed, “Okay, bye. See you later for dinner.”  
Melissa nodded. “Bye, honey,” She said sympathetically.  
“Thanks for stopping by,” Hillary said, hugging her close friend goodbye.  
“Call me anytime,” Melissa whispered in her ear, giving Hillary a weak smile.   
Hillary nodded.  
“Hey Chelsea?” Jessica said after Melissa had left. “Do you want to go watch a Christmas movie in my room?” Jessica figured her parents needed some privacy.  
Chelsea shrugged. “Sure.”  
Jessica nodded and scooped up Hayley. The girls went upstairs, leaving Bill and Hillary alone in the living room.  
“When did you stop loving me?” Hillary quietly asked Bill.  
“Hillary...I never stopped loving you. I’ll always love you with everything I have. Alexis is just...different.”  
“How old is she?” Hillary asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer or not.  
Bill winced, “Twenty-two.”  
“Of course,” Hillary laughed bitterly. “We have a daughter that age, Bill.” She shook her head in disgust. “And why Spain of all places?”  
“To celebrate her getting into graduate school,” Bill winced again.  
“So she’s not even finished college yet,” Hillary realized, feeling even more disgusted with her husband. “I’d been asking to take a vacation with you for months…” She shook her head again.  
“You disgust me,” she angrily said before she stormed upstairs.   
  


She went into Jessica’s room.  
“Chels, can you take Hayley and watch the movie downstairs? I need to talk to your sister,” Hillary said.  
“But this is a really good movie so far!” Chelsea argued.  
“We can finish watching it later,” Jessica said. “Go play with Hayley downstairs.”  
Chelsea sighed and nodded. She grabbed Hayley and left the room.  
“So…” Jessica said awkwardly as Hillary crawled into bed with her and got under the covers.  
“Alexis is a twenty-two year old office assistant,” Hillary said to Jessica, in a disgusted tone of voice. She scoffed. “She’s not even finished college yet.” Hillary rolled her eyes.  
“But...that’s like _my age_ ,” Jessica realized, dumbfounded. “Eww.”  
Hillary teared up again.  
“Oh, mom,” Jessica sighed and wrapped her arms comfortingly around Hillary. “It’s all going to be okay, mama. Don’t cry.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, my heart hurts SOOOO much for Hillary. It definitely wasn't fun relieving her pain in order to edit and post this chapter. I wrote the latter part of it after watching the Hulu documentary so her pain and anger was definitely fresh in my mind. It was actually kind of fun to write angry Hillary, I have to admit, but not so much fun to write heartbroken and sad Hillary :( 
> 
> Anyways, hope you still enjoyed the chapter. Things will get better for Hillary eventually, but she's gotta go through some painful things first. Jessica and Hillary mother-daughter girl time coming up in the next chapter. 
> 
> Until next time.


	4. New York, New York

Bill and Hillary had been separated for two months, since the day after Christmas. The both of them had still moved to New York at the end of Bill’s term. Bill had let Hillary move into the house in Chappaqua while he had found an apartment to stay in while they tried to decide what they wanted to do in regards to their marriage.  
Jessica was currently waiting for her mom at Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. It was Bill’s weekend with Chelsea and Hayley so Hillary had decided to come into the city to spend the weekend with Jessica. The two of them desperately needed some one on one mother-daughter time together after everything that had happened. Because Jessica had a doctor’s appointment that coming week, Hillary had taken a few days off of work and Bill had graciously agreed to keep Chelsea and Hayley a few extra days so that Hillary could go with Jessica to the appointment in a few days time.  
Jessica excitedly waved when she saw her mom walking over to her.  
Hillary grinned as she approached her daughter, “Hi, baby!”  
“Hey, mama!” Jessica squealed.  
Hillary hugged Jessica tightly. “God, I’ve missed New York City! And I’ve missed you, sweetheart.”  
“I missed you, too, mom,” Jessica replied. “I’m so glad you can come with me to my doctor’s appointment.”  
“You know I wouldn’t miss it,” Hillary grinned as they started leaving the train station.  
“And I don’t think you’ve ever seen my apartment,” Jessica suddenly realized.  
“No, I don’t think so,” Hillary replied as the realization dawned on her. “I only helped you move into your dorm room in your Freshman year.”  
“Let’s get a cab,” Jessica as they walked out onto the busy New York City streets. “I’ve become an expert at hailing them, by the way.”  
Hillary chuckled, “I bet. I was worried about you when you first moved here.”  
“No need to worry,” Jessica assured her mom as she successfully hailed a cab.  
Hillary shivered as they got into the taxi together. “I know I’ve been living here for two months already but I still can’t get used to the cold again.” She chuckled. “I hadn’t seen snow in _years_ .” She laughed to herself.  
“So what’s going on with Bill?” Jessica asked, cutting right to the chase.  
Hillary sighed and rolled her eyes, “He’s apparently seeing Alexis, long distance. Your sisters stay with him every other weekend and on Wednesday nights. The divorce should be final in a month or two. I fast-tracked it. We’re announcing things to the press sometime over the next few weeks.”  
Jessica frowned and looked down at her freshly manicured nails, “I’m so sorry, mom.”  
Hillary just shrugged and frowned. “It is what it is, I guess. Somewhere in the back of my mind I always knew it would come to this one day.”  
Jessica sadly sighed. She hated the entire situation.  
“My lawyer is a cutie though,” Hillary joked, trying to lighten up the mood.  
Jessica chuckled, “Oh, really now?”  
Hillary laughed, “Yep. He’s right out of law school. He’s adorable. But smart.”  
“Nice,” Jessica chuckled. 

The two of them made small talk and caught up with what had been going on in each other's lives over the past two months for the rest of the drive and eventually the cab pulled up outside of Jessica's apartment building. “This is it, mom.”  
Hillary paid for the cab and grabbed her suitcase and purse.  
“Hopefully the elevator’s not broken again,” Jessica let out an annoyed sigh. “Or we’ll have to climb up seven flights of stairs.” She rolled her eyes. She pressed the button and was happily surprised when the doors opened. “Yes, it worked!”  
Hillary chuckled as they stepped inside.  
“I hate when it's broken. Which is _all the time_. Especially when I have groceries, ugh,” Jessica remarked. “This building is old as dirt.” She added with a sigh. “But the rent is cheap and it's safe. And it's close to Central Park.”  
“Honey, I can help out if you want to move into a nicer apartment building,” Hillary offered. “Especially with the baby on the way.”  
“No, it’s fine,” Jessica waved her off as the elevator arrived on their floor. “I want to be independent. I don’t need any money from you. I have a job.”  
Hillary chuckled. Jessica reminded her so much of herself sometimes. She definitely had gotten a stubborn and independent streak from Hillary.   
“Want to just get Thai takeout for dinner and have a lazy night in?” Jessica suggested as they got to Jessica’s door.  
“That sounds perfect,” Hillary said.  
“I can even go rent us some cheesy romantic comedies,” Jessica suggested.  
Hillary smiled as Jessica unlocked the door to her apartment. “Sure. Sounds wonderful.”  
“So, what do you think?” Jessica asked as they stepped inside the apartment. She gave her mother a hopeful smile.  
“It’s cute!” Hillary smiled. “I like it. It suits you for sure.”  
“I cleaned up for you and everything,” Jessica chuckled.  
“And your bump!” Hillary squealed as Jessica took her winter coat off. At sixteen weeks pregnant, Jessica was starting to get a slight but definitely noticeable baby bump. “It’s so cute!”  
Jessica smiled and rubbed her belly. “I know!”  
Hillary took her own coat off and handed it to Jessica for Jessica to hang up.  
“I’m thinking I might move to Chappaqua and stay with you for a few months after graduation,” Jessica admitted as Hillary and Jessica sat down on the living room couch together. She bit her lip. “I need to be closer to you. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with a baby. You have to help me. And Chelsea will be off to Stanford a few weeks after the baby comes anyways. And there’s no room for a crib in this place. I’m sure I could find a nice and affordable two bedroom apartment in Chappaqua…”  
Hillary interrupted Jessica’s rambling. “Well, what if I moved here after Chelsea goes away to college?”  
“What?” Jessica looked at Hillary in confusion. “But what about Hayley?”  
Hillary shrugged, “I can go back and forth to drop off and pick up Hayley when it's Bill’s nights with her. Or he can go back and forth. We’ll figure it out. I think he might end up moving back to Arkansas anyways after the divorce is final. To be with Alexis.” She frowned.   
Jessica frowned. “He can’t do that. He wouldn’t do that to Hayley. He loves her so much.”  
Hillary shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised. At least my lawyer is a shark so maybe the law can stop him, if I can’t.”  
Jessica nodded.  
“But it would be nice to live in New York City again,” Hillary mused. “Maybe I could find a job and a nice place here.” She shrugged.  
Jessica shrugged, “Yeah, maybe.” She rubbed her mom’s back. “So how have you been doing? You were really down the last time I saw you two months ago.”  
Hillary sadly sighed, “I’m doing okay. Bill and I hadn’t been truly happy for a while. I should have seen it coming.” She shrugged and quickly changed the subject. “How was your trip to Florida to see your father?”  
Jessica rolled her eyes, “Ugh, horrible as usual. I don’t even want to talk about it. He ignored me the whole time and just played online poker. _And_ I was _this close_ to actually killing Sharon. Her voice is _so_ annoying.”  
“Aww, honey,” Hillary tried to stifle her laughter.  
“Her sister was visiting too! There’s two of them!” Jessica exclaimed. “And Sharon kept making fun of me for getting pregnant.” She rolled her eyes.  
“Well don’t let them get to you,” Hillary said.  
Jessica nodded and rubbed her belly.  
Hillary softly smiled, “You are so adorable. You are actually glowing.”  
Jessica grinned. “I can’t wait to find out the gender at this appointment.”  
“If the baby cooperates,” Hillary reminded her.  
“ _It better_ ,” Jessica joked. “But it's a girl. I know it.”  
Hillary smiled, “We’ll see.”  
Jessica’s stomach suddenly made an audible growling noise.  
Hillary chuckled, “Time to order that takeout.”  
Jessica nodded. “It’s across the street so let’s just walk over and order it.”  
Hillary nodded and stood up from the couch. “Sounds good.”  
“I can’t eat anything spicy anymore. I get the _worst_ heartburn,” Jessica complained as they put their coats on.  
“Aww, poor you,” Hillary chuckled. “I remember those days.”  
“I used to love spicy food,” Jessica sighed.  
“Well, it's only for a few more months,” Hillary reminded her.  
“Yeah, like five!” Jessica complained.  
Hillary chuckled. “Come on, let’s go.”

* * * * *

“Ugh, it’s so cold out!” Hillary complained after they had gotten their food and they were walking back to Jessica’s apartment.  
Jessica chuckled. “We’re not that far from home. You’ll be fine.”  
Hillary’s cell phone suddenly started ringing in her purse. She frowned as she dug it out and checked the call display. “It’s Bill.”  
“Answer it,” Jessica urged.  
“I don’t want to talk to him,” Hillary shook her head.  
“What if it’s important?” Jessica asked.  
“It’s not,” Hillary shook her head again. “He’s just calling for the millionth time, begging me to take him back.” She rolled her eyes.  
“Ugh, I can’t believe I changed my last name to Clinton for him,” Jessica shook her head to herself. “I need to remedy that and change it back to Rodham ASAP.”  
They arrived back at Jessica’s building and went up to the apartment.  
“Want to eat on the couch?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary nodded. It had been ages since she had had a lazy night in like this without kids. Jessica nodded and started grabbing the various takeout containers out of the paper bag. “I’ll go get us some plates and cutlery.”  
  


“Why doesn’t he want me anymore?” Hillary suddenly said, tearing up when Jessica came back from the kitchen a few minutes later.  
Jessica frowned and sighed. “Oh, Mom. You’re incredible. Bill’s just an ass.” She hugged her mom tightly. “Don’t cry, mama.”  
Hillary nodded and quickly swiped away her tears. She sniffled.  
Jessica lightly kissed her mother’s cheek which made Hillary feel a bit better.  
“Ugh, I think the heat’s out again,” Jessica shivered. “I’ll go get us some blankets.” 

“Ugh, this stupid apartment,” She shook her head when she came back to the living room a few minutes later with the blankets.  
“Maybe you _should_ move to Chappaqua,” Hillary realized. “You could probably find a decent apartment like you said. I’d be happy to help you with the rent.”  
“I need to move to a different apartment,” Jessica conceded. “I just don’t know if I want to stay in Manhattan or move to Chappaqua with you.” She sighed.  
“Well you still have a few months to decide,” Hillary assured her daughter, remembering when she was in her daughter’s position almost twenty-two years ago.  
Jessica nodded.  
“When’s your doctor’s appointment again?” Hillary asked her as they started eating dinner.  
“Tuesday,” Jessica answered. “I’m _so_ glad you’re coming with me. I didn’t really want to go by myself.”  
Hillary smiled, “I’m glad I can come with you, too.”  
“I just _know_ it’s a girl. It has to be,” Jessica gently rubbed her tiny bump. “You’re still coming to my graduation, right, mom?”  
Hillary lightly chuckled, “Of course, baby. I wouldn’t miss it.”  
Jessica grinned, “I’m so excited!” She suddenly sighed. “But that reminds me. I have studying to do. I have midterms coming up.”

* * * * *

“How about you study while I take a shower?” Hillary suggested when they were finished eating.  
Jessica nodded and started cleaning up from dinner. “The bathroom is at the end of the hallway.”  
Hillary nodded, “Thanks, baby.”  
While she grabbed her toiletry bag and went to take a shower, Jessica went to her bedroom to attempt to get some studying done. She grabbed one of her notebooks and tried to concentrate but she couldn’t focus. After letting out a frustrated sigh, she decided to go rent some movies for her and her mother to watch that night.  
She walked over to the bathroom to tell Hillary.  
“I’m going to the video store,” she said, poking her head into the bathroom.  
“Okay,” Hillary called out over the running water. “Be careful, sweetie!”  
Jessica laughed, “I’ll be fine, mom. I do this all the time. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  
“Okay, I love you,” Hillary said.  
“Love you, too,” Jessica smiled to herself.  
“Oh, and I just used the rest of your shampoo. You might want to get some more,” Hillary called out.  
“Got it,” Jessica said. “I’ll get us some junk food, too.”  
“Perfect,” Hillary replied.  
“Be back soon.”

* * * * *

Jessica groaned in frustration when, upon coming home from the drugstore and video store respectively, she realized that the elevator was broken again. She let out a frustrated sigh before she resignedly took the stairs back up to her apartment. She let herself in and saw that her mom was watching TV in the living room.  
“The elevator’s broken again,” Jessica rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch. “Now I’m exhausted from all those stairs.”  
“Did you get any studying done while I was in the shower?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica shook her head. “I can’t focus.”  
“I can help you, if you want,” Hillary offered.  
“No, that’s okay. But thanks. I’ll just go to the library tomorrow,” Jessica shrugged.  
Hillary shrugged, “Suit yourself.”  
“How about we watch a movie?” Jessica suggested. “I rented us some chick flicks.”  
“Sure,” Hillary nodded, and grabbed a blanket that was draped over the couch.  
Jessica grinned and cuddled up to her mom.  
Halfway through the movie, Jessica’s phone rang.  
She groaned and grabbed it from its cradle on the end table. “Hello?...oh yeah, sure. No problem. Be right there.”  
“Who was that?” Hillary asked curiously after Jessica hung up.  
“My neighbor. He needs help carrying some stuff upstairs,” Jessica explained.  
“Oh, okay,” Hillary nodded. “I’ll come with you,” she offered. 

“Mom, this is Sam,” Jessica introduced her neighbor to her mom when they got down to the lobby.  
“Hi, Sam. It’s nice to meet you,” Hillary smiled at him.  
“And this is my mom, Hillary,” Jessica said to Sam.  
Sam smiled, “It’s nice to meet you.”  
Hillary and Jessica took some of his shopping bags from him and started walking back upstairs.  
“He’s cute,” Hillary whispered to Jessica, smirking slightly.  
“Shh!” Jessica hissed but she was also smirking. “He’s an art student.”  
“You look like your mom, Jessica,” Sam said.  
“That’s good because she’s gorgeous,” Jessica smirked.  
Hillary chuckled, blushing. “Hush.”  
“Have a good night, Sam,” Jessica said when they got up to their floor.  
“Night,” Sam smiled at both of them, taking his grocery bags back from them. “Thanks for helping me out. Hopefully the elevator is fixed by tomorrow.”  
Jessica nodded in agreement. “I know, right? It was no trouble though. Have a good night.”  
She grabbed Hillary’s arm and dragged her mom back to her own apartment. She squealed as she closed the door behind her.  
“He’s so adorable, mom!” Jessica squealed.  
Hillary chuckled at her daughter’s excitement. “He is pretty cute,” Hillary nodded in agreement.  
“I know!” Jessica squealed. “And he’s _so_ nice,” she gushed. “He always comes into the coffee shop where I work.”  
“You should ask him out,” Hillary suggested.  
Jessica shrugged, “Maybe. I think he’s single. We talk a lot. He goes to NYU, too. He’s an art major. He’s really sweet.”  
“And I think he likes you,” Hillary pointed out.  
Jessica laughed. “And you know this, _how_?”  
“Because he _did not_ need help carrying that crap upstairs. It was a couple of shopping bags,” Hillary chuckled.  
Jessica just shrugged in return.  
Hillary chuckled at her daughter. “Come on, Jess. I think you know that he likes you. You just said he always comes to your workplace.”  
Jessica giggled and shrugged again. “His name is even cute.”  
“Yeah, Sam and Jessica _does_ fit together,” Hillary realized.  
“Like Bill and Hillary,” Jessica pointed out.  
“ _Don’t_ ,” Hillary warned.  
“Okay, okay…” Jessica backed off before she upset her mother.  
“Well, I like him. I approve, if you ever want to ask him out,” Hillary said.  
Jessica chuckled. “Maybe I’ll ask him out for coffee one of these days. I’m not sure how he’d react to the whole baby thing though. I don’t think he’s even noticed I’m pregnant.” She rubbed her belly.  
Hillary shrugged, “I say invite him out for a coffee. You never know.”  
Jessica shrugged, “Okay, we’ll see.” She grabbed the blanket again and cuddled up to Hillary on the couch. “Let’s finish the movie.”  
Hillary nodded and pressed ‘play.’  
“Sorry about the heat and the elevator,” Jessica apologized.  
“Hey, it’s fine. Don't worry about it. It’s not your fault,” Hillary pointed out.  
“I’m freezing,” Jessica shivered, even with a sweater and the blanket. “Do you want some tea?”  
“Sure,” Hillary nodded. “I can go make it.”  
Jessica nodded, “Thanks.”  
“Ugh, I’m gonna steal one of your sweaters,” Hillary shivered as she got out from under the blanket.  
Jessica chuckled, “I’ll go find one for you.”  
“Thanks, baby,” Hillary said she turned the kettle on.  
A few minutes later Jessica came back with an old NYU hoodie for Hillary to wear and Hillary brought their tea over to the couch.  
“Thanks, mom,” Jessica said as she turned the movie back on.  
“No problem, honey,” Hillary said before she yawned.  
“Maybe we should just go to bed,” Jessica realized as she yawned, too.  
Hillary chuckled, “Yeah, I think so.”  
“I can take the couch and you can sleep in my bed,” Jessica suggested.  
“No, no, you’re pregnant, sweetie. You sleep in your bed and I’ll take the couch,” Hillary insisted.  
“Or you can just sleep with me if you want. I don’t care,” Jessica shrugged.  
“Yeah?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica shrugged, “Sure.”  
Hillary smiled, “Okay, let’s do that.”  
Jessica nodded and smiled.  
They got ready for bed and climbed under the covers together.  
“This reminds me of when you were younger and you would always crawl into bed with me in the middle of the night,” Hillary chuckled.  
Jessica chuckled, “Yeah?”  
Hillary nodded. “Yeah. Except now you’re not asking me for a glass of milk or one more bedtime story.”  
Jessica quietly laughed. “I love you, mom.”  
“Love you, too.”  
“Night,” Jessica said, lying down and getting comfortable.  
“Goodnight, sweetie.”

* * * * *

When Jessica woke up the next morning, her mother’s side of the bed was empty but she could faintly smell something sweet in the air. She slowly got out of bed, threw on a hoodie and went to see what her mother was making for breakfast.  
“French toast, awesome,” Jessica said, as she walked into the kitchen.  
Hillary looked over at her daughter and smiled. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”  
Jessica walked over and hugged her mother’s arm. “It’s so cold,” she whined.  
Hillary chuckled. “Good morning.”  
“Morning.” Jessica shivered, even with her heavy sweater on. “Ugh, why is it so fucking cold?”  
“ _Language,_ ” Hillary warned.  
Jessica rolled her eyes, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”  
Hillary chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully, “You’re impossible, sometimes.”  
Jessica laughed and playfully stuck her tongue out at Hillary. “Do you want to go for a walk in Central Park after breakfast?” She asked her mom.  
“Sure!” Hillary responded with a smile. “That sounds lovely.”  
Hillary’s cell phone suddenly started ringing.  
“Shoot, can you take over, honey?” Hillary asked.  
“Sure,” Jessica nodded, grabbing the spatula out of her mother’s hand while Hillary ran to Jessica’s bedroom to answer the phone.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey, mom!” Chelsea’s voice rang out on the other end of the phone.  
“Oh. hey, sweetheart,” hearing Chelsea’s voice made her smile to herself.  
“You forgot to call last night,” Chelsea said.  
“Oh, shoot, I did,” Hillary realized. “Sorry.”  
“No, it’s fine,” Chelsea assured her. “Are you and Jessica having a good time?”  
“Yep, a great time actually,” Hillary replied.  
“That’s good, mom. I’m glad,” Chelsea said. “Tell her I say hi.”  
“Of course I will,” Hillary nodded to herself, despite the fact that she knew Chelsea couldn’t see her. “How about you guys? Is Hayley okay?”  
“Hayley’s fine,” Chelsea assured Hillary. Chelsea suddenly harshly sighed. “We miss you though.”  
“Aww, I miss you girls, too,” Hillary frowned. “But I’ll see you girls in a few days, okay? You’ll have lots of fun with your dad.”  
“Listen, mom,” Chelsea suddenly said and Hillary could hear the hesitance in her voice.  
“What is it, honey?” Hillary asked, concerned.  
“Alexis is here,” Chelsea sighed. “His new girlfriend. She’s not here _here_ as in here at the apartment with us but he flew her out to New York. She’s in Chappaqua.”  
“Are you f…” Hillary cut herself off before she swore. She let out a big sigh. “I’ll take care of it, Chels. Thanks for telling me. I’ll call my lawyer.”  
“I’m sorry, mom,” Chelsea said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
“No, it’s okay. It's not for you to worry about, okay?” Hillary sighed again. “Do you want me to come home and pick you girls up?”  
“No, you’re supposed to be spending time with Jessica. It’s fine, mom. Hayley and I will be okay,” Chelsea assured her mom. “I’ll see you in a few days.”  
“Okay, honey. I love you. Give Hayley a kiss for me,” Hillary replied.  
“Love you, too. And I will. Tell Jess to give me a call later tonight,” Chelsea said.  
“Will do,” Hillary affirmed. “Love you, Chels,” she said one last time before hanging up.  
When she went back to the kitchen, Jessica had finished making breakfast and had set the kitchen table for them.  
“Was that Chelsea?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary nodded.  
“What’s up?” Jessica asked, seeing the expression on her mom’s face.  
Hillary sighed. “Your stepdad flew _Alexis_ out to New York. Apparently they’re officially dating now,” she rolled her eyes.  
“Oh my God,” Jessica said, in shock. “I’m _so so_ sorry, mom.”  
Hillary shrugged and tried not to tear up. “It’s fine. It is what it is. I’ll call my lawyer later today to see what that means for the custody arrangement.”  
“If you want to go home and pick up Chelsea and Hayley from Bill’s, I’d totally understand,” Jessica assured her mother as they started eating breakfast.   
Hillary bit her lip. She felt incredibly torn between wanting to spend the weekend with Jessica but also wanting to go back to Chappaqua to be with Hayley and Chelsea. She sighed.  
“No, no, I’ll stay with you. I want to go to the doctor with you.” That had been the whole purpose of her trip anyways.  
“Are you sure?” Jessica checked. “You could always just take the train here Tuesday morning and go back to Chappaqua after the appointment?”  
“It’s fine, honey,” Hillary assured Jessica. “I took this trip to be able to spend time with you, okay? Chelsea and Hayley will be fine. Bill is still an amazing father despite his...extracurricular activities.” 

Jessica just nodded in agreement.  
“Do you have any vodka?” Hillary asked, half-joking.  
Jessica frowned and shook her head. She chuckled, “Sorry, no.”  
“I know it’s eight in the morning but I need to get drunk,” Hillary groaned.  
“Oh, mom,” Jessica sighed. “I can go out and get you some?”  
Hillary laughed, “I was just joking...sort of. But I might take you up on that offer later.”  
Jessica chuckled and nodded. “Sure.”  
“Now eat up so that we can go on that walk in Central Park you suggested,” Hillary said.

* * * * * 

Over the next few days Jessica and Hillary had had a great deal of fun spending time together, just the two of them. Whenever Jessica wasn’t studying, in class, or at work, they had gone for walks together, gone shopping, watched lots of movies, and been to lots of delicious restaurants. Finally, the day of Jessica’s doctor’s appointment had come and both of them were extremely excited to find out the gender of Jessica’s baby. Hillary was in the middle of getting ready to go to the doctor’s with Jessica when she heard whispering coming from the living room. She frowned and went to investigate. Her face softened and her heart was warmed when she walked into the living room and saw Jessica cradling and rubbing her tiny baby bump.  
“I think your name is Sophia...but it might be Oliver, too. Do you like those names, baby?”  
Hillary smiled to herself at the incredibly sweet sight in front of her. She had to try her best to not get emotional.   
“Mama likes them a lot. I love you, baby,” Jessica quietly said, smiling softly. She looked over and realized that her mother was watching her.  
“Did you hear that?” she asked with slightly flushed cheeks.  
Hillary nodded and smiled at her daughter, “You’re adorable.”  
Jessica chuckled and rubbed her belly, “Thanks.”  
“Come on, we better get a move on before we’re late,” Hillary said.  
Jessica nodded in agreement. “Let’s go.”

* * * * *

Filled with excitement and anticipation, the two of them took a taxi to Jessica’s obstetrician's office. Jessica checked in at the front desk and sat down beside Hillary in the waiting room.  
“I’m nervous, mama,” Jessica admitted, biting her lip. “But excited.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary gave her daughter a reassuring smile and squeezed Jessica’s hand.  
“Jessica Clinton?” A nurse called out a few minutes later, coming into the waiting room. “We’re ready for you now.”  
“That’s me!” Jessica smiled as she and Hillary followed the nurse to an exam room.  
Jessica changed into a gown and situated herself on the exam table while they waited for the doctor.  
“Good afternoon, Jessica,” the doctor greeted when she walked into the room a few minutes later. “And this must be your mother?” She looked in Hillary’s direction.  
“Hi, Dr. Johnson. Yep, this is my mom, Hillary, ” Jessica smiled.  
“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Hillary,” Dr. Johnson said.  
“Nice to meet you, too,” Hillary said, as she shook the doctor’s hand.  
“So, first of all. Do you have any concerns about your pregnancy? How has everything been going? Any problems so far?” The doctor began.  
“Not really,” Jessica shrugged. “Everything’s been going pretty smoothly. My morning sickness subsided a few weeks ago. Other than some heartburn and food cravings, I haven’t had any issues. Can I just see my baby now?”  
The doctor chuckled and nodded, “Of course.”  
Jessica grinned in anticipation as the doctor and an ultrasound technician got set up for the ultrasound. She reached for Hillary’s hand. Hillary squeezed it reassuringly.  
“This is going to be cold,” The ultrasound technician warned before squirting the gel on Jessica’s stomach. Jessica nodded, just wanting to get to the ultrasound.  
“And there we go,” the doctor said as a black and white image appeared on the screen.  
Jessica gasped excitedly. “ _Hi,_ baby!” she squealed in a high pitched voice.  
“Wow,” Hillary said, in awe.  
“Everything looks exactly as it should for sixteen weeks,” Dr. Johnson confidently said. “Do you want to hear the heartbeat?”  
“Yes, please,” Jessica nodded.  
“Oh my God,” Hillary said, still in awe as a whooshing noise filled the room. She still couldn’t believe she was going to be a grandmother in just a few short months. Being at this appointment was just making everything feel so much more real.  
“Did you want to know the sex today?” Dr. Johnson asked, looking at the ultrasound monitor.  
“Yes!” Both Hillary and Jessica answered at the same time.  
The three ladies all chuckled.  
“Congratulations, you’re having a girl!” Dr. Johnson announced.  
“I knew it!” Jessica excitedly squealed. “Oh my God!”  
Hillary grinned and kissed the top of Jessica’s head. She wouldn’t have cared either way about the baby’s gender — and she knew Jessica wouldn’t have either — but she had also secretly had a feeling it was a girl. She was absolutely thrilled that her first grandchild was going to be a girl like Jessica was hoping for.  
“Congratulations, honey,” Hillary said, a wide smile still plastered on her face. “I’m so excited for you.”  
  


To Be Continued … 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a little bit of mother daughter fluff as filler to break up the story from all the drama and the angst lol. But don't worry, Hillary gets to have some fun adventures in New York City in the next few chapters. You never know what can happen or who you're going to run into in The Big Apple. 
> 
> :) :) :)


	5. Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were lots of divided opinions after the last chapter which I expected. That is the fun of fan fiction lol. I'm glad you're all enjoying this story so much. Thank you very much for reading and sticking with it. I don't want to give anything away but it is definitely not a traditional Billary fic, I don't think. At least the first chunk of it.   
> There are some things I want to clarify regarding Jessica and Nick and their relationship but I don't want to clog up these notes at the beginning in case I get ramble-y so I will put them in the end notes. On with the story. Hope you enjoy the update. Some of you will like the direction the story is going, based on your comments on the last chapter lol.

Jessica’s appointment soon wrapped up and the two women left the doctor’s office.    
“I have class at four but we still have some time to kill,” Jessica pointed out as they walked out onto the busy and bustling New York City streets. “We could go get lunch and do some shopping?”    
“Yeah, sure. That sounds nice,” Hillary nodded and smiled.    
Jessica smiled, “Great. Now that I know the gender I can  _ actually _ start buying baby things.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement.    
“I can’t believe I’m having a girl,” Jessica was still on Cloud Nine from learning that she was having a girl. “I hope we’re as close as you and I are.”    
“I’m sure you will be,” Hillary assured Jessica, softly smiling at her as they entered a nearby department store.    
“Ugh, I wish I could stay in the city,” Jessica complained, as they went up the escalator to the women’s clothing department.    
“Well, maybe you can make things work and stay in Manhattan,” Hillary encouraged her daughter.    
Jessica shrugged and sighed, “I don’t know. I want to be close to you. I need your help. So we’ll see I guess. I have no idea how to be a mother.”   
“You’ll be a great mother, honey,” Hillary assured Jessica.    
Jessica sighed again, “I don’t know, mom. I’m so nervous.”   
“It’s okay to be nervous. I was an absolute nervous wreck when I was pregnant with you,” Hillary assured Jessica, as she started looking through a rack of turtlenecks. “Everything will be okay though. You’ll see. I managed on my own with you.”   
“Yeah, but then you met Bill,” Jessica pointed out.    
“Well, yeah,” Hillary lightly shrugged. “But it was just you and me for almost four years.”    
Jessica shrugged.    
“I’ll come into the city all the time to visit you and the baby if you stay here,” Hillary assured Jessica.    
Jessica nodded. “Okay. Can we go look at the baby stuff now?”    
Hillary nodded and smiled, “Sure.” 

“Oh my God,” Jessica squealed when they got to the children’s clothing department and went over to the baby clothes. “This stuff is adorable!”    
“Aww,” Hillary smiled nostalgically as memories of Jessica and Chelsea as babies came back to her.   
“This is  _ really _ cute,” Jessica picked up a pink onesie that said ‘Little Princess’ on it.    
“That’s adorable,” Hillary complimented.    
Jessica looked at the price tag and suddenly frowned. “Never mind. This store is a little out of my price range. I’ll just go shopping at Marshall’s next weekend.”    
“I’ll buy it for you, honey,” Hillary offered.    
Jessica sighed and shook her head. “No. It’s okay.”    
“Sweetheart, let me,” Hillary encouraged.    
“It’s okay. I don’t need your help,” Jessica repeated. “I just need a second job,” Jessica sighed. “I never realized how expensive babies are.”    
“So, let me help you, sweetie,” Hillary insisted.    
“No,” Jessica shook her head adamantly. “You managed by yourself. I can too.”    
Hillary sighed, “I’ll start sending you a check once a month.”    
“Mom, no. Don’t do that,” Jessica shook her head. “I’ll just get a second job.”    
“But you’re pregnant, honey,” Hillary argued. “I don’t want you on your feet all day. You should quit the coffee shop. I’ll help you.”    
Jessica shrugged, “Maybe I can get a desk job or something on campus. Until I graduate and can find something better.” Her stomach suddenly growled. “Do you want to go grab some lunch now?”    
Hillary chuckled after hearing Jessica’s stomach. “Sure, sweetie. Do you want the baby clothes?” She gestured to the onesies in Jessica’s hands.    
Jessica shrugged, “No, it’s okay.” She sighed, knowing she couldn’t afford them.    
“I’ll buy them,” Hillary said, gesturing for Jessica to pass them to her.    
“Mom, its really okay. Don’t worry about it,” Jessica sighed.    
“Think of it as an early baby present then,” Hillary offered.    
Jessica rolled her eyes and chuckled knowing her mom wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Fine.”    
She let Hillary pay for the baby clothes and they found a cute cafe nearby to eat lunch at.    
“God, I’m so nervous about having a baby,” Jessica admitted to Hillary after they had ordered.    
“Becoming a mom is scary,” Hillary admitted.    
Jessica nodded and nervously sighed.    
“It gets easier eventually,” Hillary assured her daughter as she softly smiled at the younger woman. “I mean I didn’t mess you up _too_ bad,” Hillary teased, chuckling.    
Jessica laughed. “I just had never pictured myself with a baby before.” She shrugged and gently rubbed her belly. “I don’t think I want to get married though. I mean what guy is going to want to date a single mother anyways?”   
“Bill Clinton apparently,” Hillary rolled her eyes. “But you’ll find someone one day, sweetheart,” she assured her daughter.    
“Well you’ll find someone new one day, too,” Jessica encouraged her mother.    
Hillary scoffed, “I am perfectly fine being single for the rest of my life. At least for now. I have you and your sisters. You girls are all I need for now.”    
“How did Bill react when he learned you had a three year old?” Jessica asked curiously.    
Hillary smiled nostalgically. “Oh, he was _so_ nice about it. He had always wanted kids and you two hit it off right from the start.”   
“Aww,” Jessica smiled to herself remembering some of her childhood memories with Bill. “I feel so stupid for changing my last name.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to change it back to Rodham now.”    
“Do what you want. I don’t care,” Hillary replied.    
“Are you keeping Clinton?” Jessica asked her mom.    
“I haven’t decided yet,” Hillary admitted, taking a sip of the coffee she had ordered.    
Jessica nodded in an understanding manner. “You should keep it for Chelsea and Hayley,” she encouraged.    
Hillary nodded. “There’s too many bad memories attached to it though.” She frowned.    
Jessica nodded again and sadly sighed.    
“But I have amazing memories of being with your stepfather, too,” Hillary bitterly sighed.    
“I still can’t believe him,” Jessica shook her head.    
“I don’t want to talk about him,” Hillary said.    
Jessica nodded and changed the subject. “The past few days have been so much fun. You should come to the city more often.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I really should. I’ll have to come visit my grandbaby of course. If you stay in Manhattan that is.”    
Jessica grinned excitedly. “I love her so much already.”    
Hillary smiled at Jessica. “And I’ll come into town for your graduation obviously.”    
Jessica nodded as their food came. “Ugh, she’s only going to be like a month and a half old when I have to start grad school.”    
Hillary sighed. “Well I’ll watch her and help you out when I can.”    
“You promise?” Jessica bit her lip.    
Hillary nodded. “Of course.”   
Jessica nodded in return. “I think I’ll just start off taking classes part-time so I can work.”    
“You’ll figure it all out. I promise,” Hillary assured her daughter.    
“Thanks,” Jessica nodded again. “I love you, mom.”   
“I love you, too, baby,” Hillary smiled. She took a bite of her sandwich. “Oh, this is delicious!”   
Jessica nodded in agreement as she ate the soup she had ordered. “This place is really good.”    
“I forgot how good the food in New York City is,” Hillary said. She sighed. “I wish I could live here again.”   
“So move here silly!” Jessica chuckled.    
“It’s not that easy, Jess,” Hillary retorted with a laugh. She sighed again. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll see.”    
Jessica nodded. “Well I would love it if you did.”   
“Me, too,” Hillary agreed. She weakly smiled. “I’ll have to see," she repeated.    
Jessica’s phone started ringing. She frowned and answered it. “Hello?...Oh, it’s _you_.” She harshly sighed.    
“ _ Who is it? _ ” Hillary mouthed to Jessica, thinking it was Bill.   
“ _ Nick _ ,” Jessica mouthed back to Hillary with an eye roll. “Uh-huh...listen dad, I’ll have to call you back...what?...and what does that have to do with me?...no, I’m not coming...no, and don’t call me Jessie...well, when is it?”    
Hillary ate her food while she wondered what they were talking about.    
“Ugh, screw her!” she heard Jessica exclaim.    
“What’s going on?” Hillary whispered to Jessica.    
Jessica held up a hand to quiet Hillary. “I’m hanging up, dad...well, I hate her. Bye, dad...what?...well, I don’t know...wait, your wedding is more important than  _ my graduation _ ?...no, no, don’t change your wedding date. I’m not coming... _well, I want you at my graduation_ and for the last time, I’m not Jessie to you! Now I’m hanging up...Dad, I’m graduating from NYU for fuck’s sake!”    
“Jessica!” Hillary admonished. “Here, give me the phone.”    
Jessica sighed and passed the phone over.    
“What’s going on, Nick?” Hillary asked.    
Nick sighed. “Sharon and I’s wedding is the same weekend as Jessie’s graduation.”    
“Nick,” Hillary sighed. “Surely, your daughter’s graduation is more important.”    
Nick sighed. “I don’t know, Hillary. Everything for the wedding is already booked and ready to go for May Thirteenth."    
“You’re kidding me, right, Nick?” Hillary scoffed. “You’ve known her graduation is on May the Twelfth for  _ months  _ now.” She rolled her eyes.  _ Of fucking course _ Hillary thought.    
“I’ll have to see, Hillary,” Nick sighed. “I’m getting married the day after. I just can’t fly to New York the weekend of my wedding.”    
“So push back the wedding!” Hillary argued.    
Nick sighed, “I’ll see what I can do.”   
“So you and Sharon are tying the knot?” Hillary sighed.    
“Well, yeah. _Duh_ ,” Nick said. Even though she couldn't see him, Hillary could just picture him rolling his eyes and making a face. “I heard about you and Bill though. That sucks big time.”   
Hillary sighed again. “Go ahead, Nick. Rub it in my face. I know you’re dying too.”    
“No, I am genuinely sorry, Hillary,” Nick sighed again. “He was a better man to you and Jessica than I’ve ever been.”    
Hillary sighed again. “You’re right about that but I’d rather not discuss it with you.”    
“Fine," Nick acquiesced. "Let me talk to Jessie again.”   
“Come or don’t come to her graduation. It’s up to you. We don’t care either way,” Hillary said before she passed the phone back to Jessica.    
Jessica sighed, “I’m sorry I got so upset, dad.”   
“It’s fine. I’m sorry, too,” Nick apologized. “I can't make any promises but I’ll try my best to come to your graduation.”   
“Thank you,” Jessica simply said.    
“How’s the pregnancy?” Nick asked.    
“It’s great,” Jessica answered. “I found out today it’s a girl.”   
“Oh, that’s nice,” Nick said awkwardly.    
“Yeah,” Jessica nervously cleared her throat. “So, yeah. Bye, dad.”   
Nick sighed. “Talk to you soon, I guess. I love you.”   
Jessica hung up without saying anything else. “Ugh, I hate him so much.”   
Hillary sighed. “He said he would try, Jess.”   
Jessica scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I hate Sharon so much. Why is he marrying her?”   
“Jessica,” Hillary said.    
“Eww, she’s going to be my stepmother,” Jessica realized, scrunching her face up in disgust.    
Hillary chuckled at Jessica, more so at the face she was making and less so at Jessica's displeasure with having a new stepmother.    
“It’s not funny, mom!” Jessica whined.    
“Jess, stop it. It’s not that bad. You only have to see them twice a year at most,” Hillary tried.    
“Or not at all,” Jessica sharply retorted, taking a sip of her water.    
“Or...not at all,” Hillary nodded her head, agreeing. Jessica was after all, an adult now who could make those choices for herself.    
Jessica nodded and sighed. She checked her watch. “Let’s get the bill. I have to get to class soon.”   
Hillary nodded. “Sure.”   
“I can pay,” Jessica offered.    
“No, I’ve got it,” Hillary said, pulling her credit card out of her wallet.    
“Thanks,” Jessica nodded. 

After Hillary paid, they left and started walking back to Jessica’s apartment.    
“Did you want me to be a boy or a girl?” Jessica curiously asked her mom.    
“I just wanted a healthy baby,” Hillary admitted. “But I think I was secretly hoping for a girl,” she chuckled.    
Jessica laughed and smiled.    
“And you were exactly as I pictured you,” Hillary smiled nostalgically.    
Jessica chuckled. “I look nothing like Nick. Thank  _ God _ .”    
“You have his eyes,” Hillary pointed out. “And you’re tall like him.”    
“But other than that, I’m your spitting image. Thank God,” Jessica replied.    
Hillary shrugged, “He was kind of cute back in the day.”    
“Why did you ever sleep with him?” Jessica asked.    
“I honestly have no idea,” Hilllary shook her head. “I was just a stressed out law student blowing off some steam I guess.”    
“How did you two even meet in the first place? I can’t really picture him socializing in Yale Law School circles,” Jessica pointed out, chuckling.    
“A friend of mine took me out drinking for my birthday and I met him at the bar,” Hillary admitted sheepishly.    
“Hmmm,” Jessica teased, smirking. “Things are starting to make sense now.”   
“It’s not what you think,” Hillary chuckled, shaking her head that she was even telling Jessica any of this. “We went out on a couple of dates.”   
Jessica rolled her eyes playfully. “Sure.” Then she realized something. “Wait, I wasn’t conceived until the end of December. You were with him for two months?”    
Hillary chuckled. “We took a break at the beginning of December when I got really busy studying for my final exams. He came as my date to a New Year’s Eve party my friend was hosting when I got back to New Haven after going home for the holidays. Let’s just say we both had  _ way _ too much to drink that night.”    
“Ewww mom! Gross!” Jessica giggled, not being able to picture her mom in that kind of a situation _ at all _ .   
Hillary chuckled at her daughter’s reaction. “We were  _ so _ drunk.”    
“Yeah, I bet,” Jessica laughed. “I don’t know how  _ any _ woman could be attracted to him.”   
“He wasn’t always so gross,” Hillary shrugged.    
“I don’t believe it,” Jessica replied.    
Hillary shrugged again, “He was kind of charming back then. In a weird way.” Hillary sighed, feeling nostalgic. Not for Nick but for that time in her life when she had had her whole life ahead of her. “Oh, God. I’m going to die alone, aren’t I?”   
“Oh, stop it, mom,” Jessica admonished. “You’ll find someone new one day. What about your divorce lawyer? You said he was cute?”   
Hillary shrugged, “He  _ is _ cute. He’s a little young for me though.”   
“Well, you’ll meet someone eventually,” Jessica encouraged.    
“At least you have that Sam boy,” Hillary pointed out.    
Jessica shrugged. “Not quite. We’ll see. I have to ask him out and get to know him better.”    
“So invite him out for coffee or something,” Hillary suggested.    
Jessica shrugged again, “I don't want to make the first move.”   
“Well, sometimes you have to, sweetheart,” Hillary pointed out.    
Jessica shrugged. “I might ask him out. We’ll see.”   
Hillary nodded. “Well I like him for what it’s worth.”    
Jessica nodded as they arrived back at Jessica’s apartment. Jessica dropped her mom off, got her books and laptop for class, and got ready to head over to campus.    
“I’ll be back in a few hours, mom.”   


* * * * *

Hillary was watching a movie on TV when Jessica came back from class a few hours later.    
“Hey, sweetie,” Hillary said as Jessica took off her coat and put her messenger bag down. “How was class?”    
“It was fine,” Jessica yawned and plopped down on the couch besides Hillary. “I’m tired though.” She chuckled. She grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table and started flipping through the channels before she settled on a cooking show. “I just got an idea,” she suddenly said.    
“What is it, baby?” Hillary asked.    
“We should go somewhere fancy for dinner tonight!” Jessica announced. “We should treat ourselves. Everyone in class today was talking about some new fancy Italian place that just opened up in the Flatiron District.”    
“Oh, honey. I don’t know,” Hillary sighed. “We had a long day. And I didn’t really bring any fancy going out clothes with me.”    
“You can borrow something of mine!” Jessica suggested. “Come on, it’ll be fun! I promise!”    
Hillary scoffed and chuckled. “Oh, honey. I don't think so. You're so much taller than me. Nothing of yours would fit right. But thank you for the offer. I’ll just cook us something. I can make pasta if you want Italian. I’ll even make Fettuccine Alfredo if you want. We can just run to the grocery store for the ingredients.”    
“Please, mom?” Jessica begged. “We need a night out.”    
Hillary sighed. “Well, don’t we need a reservation?”    
“I’ll call them. Maybe there’s been a cancellation or something. You never know,” Jessica shrugged.    
Hillary bit her lip and sighed. “Fine,” she said, caving. “You call them and try to get a reservation while I go see what’s in your closet.”    
Jessica squealed excitedly and picked up the phone. “Yes!”    


* * * * *

After finding a nice plain black blouse of Jessica’s that fit her and looked good on her, Hillary was putting on makeup in Jessica’s room when Jessica entered.    
“They were able to squeeze us in for seven-thirty,” Jessica announced, grinning.   
“Perfect,” Hillary said as she applied dark red lipstick. “If we leave in a few minutes we’ll get there just in time.”   
Jessica nodded. “I’ll go quickly get ready.”   
Hillary nodded as she ran her hairbrush through her hair.    
“This is going to be so much fun!” Jessica squealed.    


* * * * * 

“Wow, this place is really nice,” Hillary remarked when they arrived at the restaurant. She looked around in awe.    
“I know,” Jessica agreed as they walked up to the hostess’ stand. “It’s supposed to be delicious, too.”   
“Hi, do you have a reservation tonight?” The hostess asked the two ladies.    
“Yes, we have a reservation under Rodham,” Jessica answered.    
The hostess checked her system and looked up a few seconds later. “Yep! Follow me.”    
“You look really hot tonight, mom,” Jessica remarked as they were seated. “Maybe you’ll meet a guy tonight,” she teased.    
“Shut up, Jess,” Hillary playfully rolled her eyes at her daughter.    
“What? You never know,” Jessica shrugged and smirked.    
Hillary didn’t say anything and just rolled her eyes again.    
  


A few minutes later they had ordered their drinks —ginger ale for Jessica and sparkling water for Hillary, since she was abstaining from alcohol in solidarity with Jessica — and they were debating what appetizer to order when they suddenly heard a voice.    
“Sorry to interrupt but are you Hillary Rodham?”    
The two women looked up and a tall, handsome man with blueish-green eyes and sandy brown hair, wearing a tailored navy blue suit was standing in front of their table.    
“Scott...Scott Graham?” Hillary asked, as she realized who this man was.    
“Oh my God! Hillary! It _is_ you!” Scott grinned as it was confirmed that it was indeed the woman he thought it was. “Hi!”    
“Wow, Scott, it’s been ages!” Hillary gave him a big smile, just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. “Jessica, this is Scott Graham. He’s an old classmate of mine from law school.”    
“Hi, Scott. It’s nice to meet you,” Jessica politely greeted, as she smiled at him.    
“Wait, is this Jessica?” Scott asked. He hadn’t even recognized her. “Wow, you’re all grown up now. The last time I saw you you were just a baby.”   
“Yeah, she’s twenty-one now,” Hillary said.    
“Has it really been twenty-one years since we last saw each other, Hillary? Time flies. I promise you don’t look old enough to have a twenty-one year old daughter,” Scott replied.    
Hillary chuckled and blushed.    
“Here, sit with us,” Jessica offered and scooted over on her side of the booth so that her mom and this old classmate could catch up.    
“I was having dinner with some clients and I thought I recognized you when you walked in the door,” Scott chuckled. “It’s such a small world. I can’t believe we ran into each other this way after all these years. What brings you to New York?” Scott asked Hillary.    
“I live here now,” Hillary explained. “Well, in Chappaqua. But Jessica lives here in Manhattan so I came to spend some time with her. How about you? Are you visiting New York, too?”    
“I live here as well actually,” Scott answered, smiling. "Right here in the city."    
“Oh, nice,” Hillary softly smiled. “You mentioned you had clients. Are you still practicing law then?”    
Scott nodded. “Yep. I’m still a lawyer. I worked in corporate law for a few years after law school but now I’m an entertainment lawyer.”    
“Wow, fancy,” Hillary remarked, taking a sip of her water.    
“Yeah, I guess so,” Scott chuckled. “How about you?”   
Hillary nodded, “I’m still working, too. I just started a new job at a small law office in Chappaqua when Bill’s term was up.” She took another sip of her water to maintain a poker face at the mention of Bill’s name.    
“And how is Bill?” Scott asked. He didn’t know Bill personally but he had known that Hillary had ended up as the First Lady of Arkansas. “How has life been treating the both of you since his term ended?”    
“Bill and I are actually getting a divorce,” Hillary admitted, nervously clearing her throat. Outside of close friends and family, Scott was the only other person who knew at this point in time.    
Scott frowned. “Oh, I’m  _ so _ sorry to hear that, Hillary.” From what he had seen of them on the news, they had seemed like a sweet couple and a good match for each other. Scott had been happy that Hillary had eventually found the perfect guy for her.    
Hillary shrugged, “It’s fine. He’s seeing someone new. It’s for the best.” She didn’t want to give Scott all the details just yet, considering he had just come back into her life less than five minutes ago.    
“I don’t know what to say other than I’m sorry, Hillary,” Scott frowned.    
“Really, it’s okay,” Hillary gave Scott a reassuring smile. “I’m doing just fine. I’m ready to move on with my life.”    
Scott grinned. “You’ve never been one to sit around and mope, Rodham. I’ve always liked that about you.” He sighed. “Listen, I have to get back to my clients and wrap up this dinner but we should catch up after I’m done.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “That would be great!”    
“Perfect!” Scott gave Hillary a wide smile. “You two ladies order anything you want and tell your server to put it on my tab.”    
“Oh, Scott. That is _very_ generous of you but we can’t do that,” Hillary softly smiled at him.    
“Yes, you can,” Scott insisted. “I don’t mind.” He flagged over a waitress. “Do you ladies want a bottle of wine? Or some cocktails?”    
“No, I’m fine with wa—”    
“Mom, it’s fine,” Jessica assured her mom. “You should get some wine. You deserve it. I’m fine.” She looked at Scott. "I'm pregnant," she explained.    
Scott grinned, “Really? Wow! Congratulations!”    
Jessica grinned and placed a hand on her abdomen. “Thank you. I'm sixteen weeks.”    
“Not only do you not look old enough to have a twenty-one year old, you definitely don’t look old enough to be a grandmother,” Scott joked to Hillary.    
Hillary chuckled and blushed again.    
“Listen, I should be wrapping up with my clients in about an hour or so and then we can go get a cup of coffee,” Scott suggested to Hillary.    
“Sure, that would be great,” Hillary grinned.    
“Wonderful,” Scott grinned in return. “I’ll see you then. Enjoy your dinner, ladies.”    
He walked away and the two women ordered more drinks and their food.    
“You’re blushing, mom,” Jessica pointed out, chuckling after the waitress had walked away.    
“Oh, am I?” Hillary asked, nervously chuckling.    
“So, Scott’s a friend from law school?” Jessica asked. “Was he a friend or a  _ friend _ ?”    
“You’re impossible, Jessica,” Hillary shook her head and laughed. “He was just a good friend. He had a girlfriend all through law school. We were great friends but we lost touch shortly after you were born and I moved to New York.”    
“Well he seems like a nice guy,” Jessica said.    
“He is,” Hillary nodded, taking a sip of her sparkling water.    
“I didn’t notice a wedding ring,” Jessica pointed out.    
Hillary shrugged. “I’m not interested in dating again anytime soon, honey.”   
“I’m just saying,” Jessica shrugged.    
Hillary took a sip of her Chardonnay after the waitress brought it over a few seconds later. “Wow, that’s delicious!”    
“Aww, I’m jealous. I wish I could drink,” Jessica groaned.    
Hillary chuckled and had another sip of wine.    
“Oh well. The baby’s worth it,” Jessica rubbed her belly. “I’ll just have to settle for ginger ale.”    
“This place is really nice,” Hillary remarked. “Thanks for suggesting we come here.”    
Jessica nodded. “I thought it would be fun. And hey, you ran into an old friend.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement.    
“Ugh, I’m starving,” Jessica whined.    
“Soon, sweetie,” Hillary teased.    
“I’m always hungry now,” Jessica complained, chuckling.    
“Well, you are eating for two,” Hillary pointed out.    
Jessica smiled and patted her stomach. “I already love her so much.”    
“Me, too,” Hillary smiled.   
Jessica sighed to herself. “But is loving her going to be enough? I mean, I don’t know the first thing about being a parent.”    
“Honey, it’ll all be okay,” Hillary assured Jessica. “I had babysat when I was a teenager but I still barely knew how to change a diaper when you were born.”    
Jessica nervously sighed again.    
“I promise everything will be fine,” Hillary reassured her. “I swear, no one could be as unprepared as I was. I didn’t even have your crib ready when my water broke.”    
Jessica weakly smiled, “Really?”   
“Really. You slept in my bed with me for the first week,” Hillary chuckled. “Finally, I got my neighbor to help me put it together a few days after you were born. I swear, I had no idea what I was doing those first few days. Thank God for your grandmother. But I slowly but surely got the hang of things over time. And then by the time I met Bill, you and I were a perfect little team.”    
Jessica smiled. “I hope Sophia and I will be like that.”   
Hillary softly smiled, “I’m sure you will be.”    
“I hope so,” Jessica said as their food came. “Yes! Finally!”    
Hillary chuckled.    
“Oh my God, that’s  _ so  _ good,” Jessica moaned in pleasure after taking the first bite of her chicken fettuccine alfredo.    
“This is delicious!” Hillary agreed, as she ate her shrimp linguine.    
“Ugh, I need to go apartment hunting,” Jessica sighed as Hillary poured herself more wine.    
“You want a bigger apartment?” Hillary asked.   
Jessica nodded. “I need one if I decide to stay in the city.”    
Hillary gave Jessica an understanding nod.    
They ate the rest of their dinner, and chatted about various topics when eventually, Scott came back over to their table.    
“Hey, you’re finished with your dinner?” Hillary asked.    
Scott nodded. “All wrapped up. How’s your dinner going?”   
“It’s great. The food is amazing,” Hillary answered.    
“Yeah, this place is fantastic,” Scott agreed. “I take all my clients here to woo them,” he teased. “Are you still up for that cup of coffee?”    
“Of course,” Hillary nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”    
“It’s on me,” Scott told the waitress when she brought the bill over. He handed his credit card over.    
The waitress smiled and walked away with the card.    
“You really didn’t have to pay for our dinner, Scott,” Hillary said. “But thank you very much.”    
“Oh, it was no problem,” Scott assured her. “What are the chances that I would run into you after all this time?”    
Hillary nodded in agreement.    
“You ready to go?” Scott asked Hillary when the waitress came back with his credit card and he had signed the credit card slip.    
Hillary nodded as she started putting her coat on.    
“I’m gonna head back to my apartment and let you two catch up alone,” Jessica said, also grabbing her coat and putting it on.    
“You sure?” Hillary checked.    
“Yes,” Jessica smiled and winked at Hillary, pulling her winter hat and gloves out of her coat pockets. “I’ll see you in a few hours I guess.”    
They left the restaurant and Scott hailed a cab for Jessica.    
“Thanks,” Jessica said to him. “It was really nice to meet you, Scott. You two have fun.”    
“Be careful,” Hillary said.    
“I will,” Jessica playfully rolled her eyes at her mom. “Love you, mom,” she hugged Hillary goodbye and got into the waiting cab.    
“I worry about her,” Hillary sighed as Scott hailed a second cab for himself and Hillary.    
“Oh, she’ll be fine, I’m sure. She’s lived here for a few years, I take it?” Scott asked as they got into their cab.    
Hillary nodded, “The past three and a half.”    
“I’m sure she can navigate New York City perfectly fine,” Scott assured Hillary.    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “But I still worry. It’s a mom thing I guess.” She weakly smiled.    
“She’s a lovely girl,” Scott complimented.    
“Thanks, I think so, too,” Hillary replied, smiling. Nothing made her feel better than when someone complimented one of her kids.    
“So, you and Bill. Splitsville. Wow,” Scott remarked.    
Hillary sighed and bitterly chuckled. “He’s shacked up with a twenty-two year old office assistant named _Alexis_.” She rolled her eyes.    
“I’m so sorry, Hillary,” Scott said sincerely. “I don’t know how he could let a perfect woman such as yourself slip away.”    
Hillary blushed. “That’s kind of you to say. But honestly, we hadn’t been truly happy for a while. This was a long time coming.”    
Scott nodded. “I see.”    
“What about you? What’s been going on for you in the relationship department? Did you end up staying with Stephanie?” Hillary asked curiously, wanting the spotlight off of her and Bill's relationship.    
Scott chuckled. “No, Stephanie and I broke up shortly after graduation. I got a job in Washington, D.C. and she got an internship in California. We couldn’t make the long distance thing work. I’ve dated since. I was even married for a few years but it didn’t work out in the long run. I’ve been single the past few years though. My job doesn’t leave me much time for dating.”    
“Oh, that’s too bad. The ladies are missing out on a great guy like you,” Hillary smiled over at him.    
“Yeah, but none of those ladies are as great as you,” Scott smiled.    
Hillary blushed and looked out the car window as the busy New York City streets passed by her.    
“I’m so glad we ran into each other,” Scott said. “I’ve always wanted to re-connect and catch up with you. I’ve followed your life and career from afar.”    
“Yeah, I’ve thought a lot about you over the years, too,” Hillary admitted as Scott got the cab driver to pull the car over in front of a coffee shop. He paid the driver and led Hillary inside.    
“This place is cozy,” Hillary complimented, as she inhaled the scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries. “Wait, I think this is the place Jessica works at,” Hillary realized as she noticed the name of the coffee shop above the menu board. “I’ve heard her talk about it before.”    
Scott shrugged. “I come here all the time and I’ve never seen her before. Although, I hardly recognized her. She’s all grown up now.”    
Hillary chuckled.    
“And what would you like to drink?” Scott asked her. “It’s on me.”    
“A vanilla latte sounds good,” Hillary softly smiled at him. “Thanks, Scott.”    
“No problem,” Scott smiled at her in return. “Go sit down. I’ll get our drinks for us.”    
Hillary nodded and found them a table. She happily sighed to herself. Even though she was just catching up with an old classmate and friend, she still had butterflies in her stomach for some strange reason.    
“Here you go,” Scott said, coming over with their drinks. He handed Hillary her coffee.   
“Thanks,” Hillary gratefully said.    
“No problem,” Scott smiled at her. “God, I can’t believe its been over twenty years since we last saw one another.”   
“I know, right?” Hillary agreed. “It’s crazy.” At one time, Scott had been one of her closest friends.  
“So, you have other children besides Jessica, right?” Scott asked.    
Hillary nodded. “Mmmm hmm. I also have a seventeen year old daughter, Chelsea. She'll be eighteen next month. And last year Bill and I adopted a little girl, Hayley. She’s almost two.”    
“Aww,” Scott smiled.    
Hillary nodded and smiled. “They’re the absolute lights of my life. They’re the most perfect humans ever.”    
“I bet,” Scott nodded. “I’m happy for you, Hillary.”    
“Thank you,” Hillary bashfully smiled, taking a sip of her latte. “How about you? What’s been going on in your life?”    
“Honestly, nothing much,” Scott admitted. “Work keeps me  _ very _ busy. I like to cook in my spare time but I don’t have time for much else.” He shrugged.    
“And you work in entertainment law you mentioned?” Hillary double checked.    
Scott nodded. “I’m always working and travelling. Most of my clients are in Los Angeles so I do a lot of work with my firm’s L.A office. But I love New York City too much. I don't want to move to L.A,” he chuckled. “I lived there in the nineties and it wasn't for me. So I’m always flying back and forth between New York and L.A.”    
“Sounds hectic,” Hillary remarked.    
He nodded. “It is.” He suddenly shrugged. “I don’t really have anything else to do with my time though. I love my work. It invigorates me. And the perks of having celebrity clients aren’t bad either,” he joked.    
Hillary chuckled. “I bet. I’m actually considering moving back to Manhattan and finding a job here. When Bill and I decided to move to Chappaqua, Bill and I were supposed to be living there together and figuring out this next chapter of our lives...together. But now he wants to move back to Arkansas and I need a fresh start.”    
Scott nodded. “Yeah, that would be good for you right now.”    
Hillary nodded. “I mean, Jessica’s already here and she’ll need help with the baby. Chelsea’s off to Stanford in September and Hayley is still young enough that it wouldn’t be that much of an adjustment for her. Now’s the perfect time to move.”   
Scott nodded again. “Yeah, it would be really nice if you lived in Manhattan,” he softly smiled at Hillary.    
Hillary softly smiled at him in return. “This is nice,” she commented.    
“It is,” Scott agreed. “What would Bill think if he knew you were doing this right now?”    
Hillary chuckled. “He doesn’t know you but he knows _of_ you. He’d probably kill me if he saw us here right now.”   
Scott laughed.    
“But he cheated on me so he’d be a hypocrite if he had anything to say about us,” Hillary bitterly said.    
Scott sighed. “He cheated? Seriously? How could any man be so stupid to cheat on  _ you _ ?”    
“Bill Clinton apparently,” Hillary joked.    
Scott chuckled.    
Hillary weakly smiled. “You’ve always been  _ so _ nice, Scott.”   
Scott smiled at her. “Well, you used to be one of my best friends, Hillary.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled nostalgically. “I miss those days.”    
“Me, too,” Scott admitted quietly.    
“I’m so glad we’re re-connecting,” Hillary commented.    
“Me, too,” Scott said again, nodding. He noticed that the coffee shop seemed to be closing up for the night as he noticed the employees beginning to wipe down the tables and sweep the floor. “Now, feel free to say no but did you want to go back to my place for a bit?” He nervously cleared his throat. “Just to talk and continue catching up of course.”    
Hillary felt her breath hitch in her throat as she was caught off guard. But against her better judgement and before she could stop herself, her answer was coming out of her mouth. “Sure, Scott. That would be lovely.”

  
To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I did just want to address the Nick and Jessica stuff real quickly. I don’t think I made it clear in this fic which is on me, and I do apologize for that, but there was a custody agreement in place when Jessica was younger. Nick didn’t always (or usually) follow it and he definitely was not an amazing father to Jessica when she visited him or he visited her. Bill was and is her father for all intents and purposes. But they did have semi-regular visits every couple of months throughout her childhood and teenage years so its not like Nick was never a part of Jessica’s life until now. He tried his best (in his own weird way) when he did spend time with Jessica when she was growing up.
> 
> I want to make it clear that I 100% agree with Bella’s comment on the last chapter that biology does not make a true parent and I know that from my own experience. Like I said, Jessica considers Bill to be her father, and not Nick. And maybe I was projecting too much of my own personal family situation onto Hillary, Jessica, and Nick. For that, I apologize as well. Especially if it seemed like Hillary was acting Out Of Character in these last few chapters in regards to Nick. In my head, yes, Hillary and Jessica had Bill but I think Hillary has always wanted and hoped that Nick would at least TRY to be a father to Jessica. More for Nick’s sake than Jessica’s. I agree that biology doesn’t make a true parent and Bill has been her true father over the years but at the end of the day...Jessica is still Nick’s biological daughter if that makes sense? Jessica had Bill so she was fine but Hillary still always hoped in vein that one day, Nick would step up even though he never really did. And even though Jessica is an adult now, a small part of Hillary STILL wishes that, somewhere deep inside of her. 
> 
> I had already written this chapter a few weeks ago and I did try to rewrite some of it the past few days, based on your comments on the last one. I did end up changing some things in the conversations about Nick in this chapter but most of it stayed put. I just couldn’t bring myself to change those scenes and I was happy with them as they were for the most part. 
> 
> **MINOR SPOILER ALERT**:
> 
> Nick doesn’t end up going to Jessica’s graduation in a few chapters.
> 
> **END SPOILER ALERT**
> 
> And in the future just between becoming a new mom, work, and graduate school, Jessica’s relationship and communication with Nick will just naturally fall by the wayside. He doesn’t really come up in the story anymore for the next several chapters. I do have an idea to bring him back later for something involving Jessica that I have an idea for. However, it is much, much, MUCH later in the story. I won’t be writing or posting those chapters anytime soon, I don’t think. We have a lot more pressing stuff in the story to get through first. This story is going to be moving at a rapid pace pretty soon so I don't want to dedicate too much more time to the Jessica and Nick relationship in the story, over the next few chapters. The next part of the story is all about Hillary letting go of Bill, her budding relationship with Scott, and Jessica becoming a mom. 
> 
> I feel like I should have put these explanations into the story somehow and not an Author's Note but there just isn't or wasn't the opportunity anywhere to delve into Hillary's psyche regarding her feelings about Nick and his relationship with Jessica. I'd rather focus on her feelings about Bill, her relationships with her children, and her (blossoming) feelings for and (future) relationship with Scott. 
> 
> Sorry for the long author’s note but I hoped this cleared things up somewhat. I still feel like I didn’t explain things as clearly as I wanted and hoped to but I am happy to discuss further in the comments or if you follow me on Tumblr, shoot me a message or an ask there if you’d like to discuss further and more in depth. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, are liking the direction the story is going (whether you are Team Billary or not right now lol) and that you have a good rest of your week and weekend.


	6. Date Night

“So where do you live anyways?” Hillary asked Scott as she stood up from the table and put her coat back on.    
“The Upper East Side,” Scott answered as he put his own coat on.    
“Oh, wow,” Hillary said, slightly taken aback but she wasn’t quite sure why. She wasn’t surprised. He was a wealthy entertainment lawyer after all. “Fancy,” she teased.    
Scott chuckled, “Yeah, I guess so.” He reached for Hillary’s hand. “Let’s go.”    
Hillary nodded and followed Scott out of the coffee shop. “I’ve missed this city,” she said while Scott hailed a cab.    
“This city sure is an amazing one,” Scott agreed as a cab pulled up to the curb in front of them.    
“It sure is,” Hillary agreed with a wistful smile as they got into the cab.    
“I’ve thought about you  _ a lot  _ over the years,” Scott admitted, getting into the taxi after Hillary.    
“Really?” Hillary bit her lip. “I never forgot you either,” she admitted in return.    
“Seriously?” Scott said surprised. He frowned. “But you had Bill.”   
Hillary shrugged. “Things between us were rocky the last couple of years.”    
Scott nodded, “I understand.”    
He reached over and squeezed Hillary’s hand.    
Hillary softly smiled over at him.    
  


They shortly arrived at Scott’s apartment building. Scott grabbed Hillary’s arm and led her inside.   
“The penthouse, wow,” Hillary remarked as they got onto the elevator and she saw Scott press the button marked ‘PH’. She was having a slight case of déjà vu to the first time she went to Bill’s penthouse apartment in Chicago when they had first met.   
Scott just chuckled and shrugged.   
“Wow, this place is _amazing,_ ” Hillary complimented after they stepped off the elevator and entered the foyer. She took in the sweeping foyer, the grand spiral staircase leading to the apartment’s second floor, and the vastness of the apartment in general. The place had beautiful marble floors and was tastefully decorated. It had a masculine energy but a clean and open look to it. Hillary spotted a state of the art kitchen out of the corner of her eye.   
Scott smiled at Hillary and took her coat from her. “Can I get you anything to drink?”   
Hillary nodded, still taking the apartment in. “Sure,” she answered.   
“Beer? Wine? Water?” Scott asked.   
She shrugged, “I’ll have whatever you're having.”   
Scott nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.   
Hillary walked over the living room window and took in the incredible view of the New York City skyline that Scott’s apartment had. She noticed a sliding glass door that led outside to a terrace that she imagined was nice to sit outside on during the warmer months.   
“Incredible, isn’t it?” Scott said, coming up behind her and handing her a glass of red wine.   
“It’s beautiful,” Hillary agreed. She was slightly breathless and overcome from the events of the night, but especially from the last couple of minutes.   
Scott led her over to the couch and turned on the large flat screen TV.   
“I should call Jessica and let her know where I am,” Hillary realized as Scott flipped through the channels.   
Scott nodded. “Of course. Here you can use my phone,” he offered, handing her the cordless handset from the end table.   
“Thanks,” Hillary gratefully said, dialing Jessica’s home number.   
“Hello?”   
“Hey, it’s me,” Hillary said.   
“Oh, hey, mom,” Jessica said. “How are things going with Scott?”   
“Really well,” Hillary answered. “I was just calling to check in on you.”   
“I’m fine,” Jessica assured her mother. “You go have fun with Scott.”   
“Okay, don’t wait up for me,” Hillary said, realizing it was already getting kind of late.   
“I think I’m going over to Sam’s actually,” Jessica admitted.   
“Oh, okay. Have fun,” Hillary smiled to herself. She could almost picture Jessica’s probable smirk on the other end of the phone.   
“Yeah, you, too,” Jessica teased which elicited a giggle from Hillary.   
“I’ll see you later, honey,” Hillary said.   
“Yep, see you later,” Jessica hung up.   
“Everything okay?” Scott checked after Hillary had hung up.   
Hillary nodded and smiled.   
“Good,” Scott smiled.   
Hillary smiled in return and leaned back against the black leather couch, making herself comfortable.   
Scott hesitated but he tentatively started attempting to wrap his arm around Hillary’s shoulders. Hillary looked at him and nodded her approval. Scott relaxed as he gently draped his arm around Hillary’s shoulders.   
Hillary smiled and cuddled up to him. “Tonight has been nice.”  
“Definitely,” Scott agreed smiling.   
Suddenly Hillary yawned.   
“Tired?” Scott asked.   
Hillary chuckled. “Yeah, its been a long day. I should probably get going actually.”   
“No, please stay a little bit longer,” Scott pleaded. “You can take a nap if you want to. I have a guest room.”   
Hillary shook her head and laughed. “No, it’s fine. But thanks. Besides, I don’t feel like getting up yet anyways.” She took a sip of her wine.   
“Then stay here,” Scott said. “Nap on the couch. I don’t mind.”   
“Really?” Hillary nervously asked.   
Scott nodded, “Feel free. I’ll go get you a blanket.”   
“Thanks,” Hillary softly smiled at him as she took her shoes off and lay down on the couch. “I just need a quick nap,” she assured Scott when he came back with her blanket.   
“No problem,” Scott assured her, as he covered her up. “I’ll be waiting.”   
Hillary nodded and closed her eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep. 

******

When Hillary woke up an hour later Scott was nowhere to be found. Hillary frowned and decided to go look for him. She got up from the couch and made her up the apartment’s spiral staircase thinking that he must be upstairs. The second floor hallway was long and narrow but she could faintly hear a television playing at the end of the hallway. She walked down the hallway and poked her head into the room she thought she heard the noise coming from. It was Scott’s master bedroom.    
“Oh, hey! You’re awake!” Scott grinned at Hillary when he realized she had peeked her head through the door. He had been lounging in bed watching television.    
“Yeah, and you’re not wearing a shirt!” Hillary giggled as she opened the door wider.    
Scott blushed and put his T-shirt back on.    
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Hillary giggled. “It’s your house.”    
Scott patted the other side of the bed and gestured for her to come sit with him. “How was your nap?” he asked her.    
“It was nice,” she smiled at him as she sat down in the empty spot next to Scott and got herself situated. “Your couch is comfortable.”    
Scott chuckled. “I’m really glad you came over, Hillary.”    
“Me, too,” Hillary admitted quietly, softly smiling at her old friend.    
“I want to take you out again,” Scott admitted. “How does tomorrow night sound?”   
“Tomorrow is great,” Hillary grinned.    
Scott smiled in return as Hillary laid down beside him and tentatively cuddled up to him. Scott nodded to assure her that cuddling was more than welcome. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.    
“What are you watching?” She asked him.    
“Basketball,” Scott chuckled. “But you can change it if you want,” he offered, passing her the television remote.    
“It’s okay. I like basketball,” Hillary said, trying to shake off the nostalgic feelings and memories of watching sports in bed with Bill that this encounter was bringing up. “So how many flat screen TV’s do you own anyway?” she jokingly asked Scott.    
He laughed. “I could take you on a tour of the place if you want?”    
“That would be lovely,” Hillary smiled. “I almost got lost looking for your bedroom,” she teased.    
Scott chuckled, “Well, let’s go then.”   
Hillary nodded and smiled as they started getting out of the bed.    
“So, obviously this is my bedroom,” Scott joked.    
Hillary nodded and chuckled. “It’s really nice.”    
Scott smiled at her and grabbed her hand, leading her across the hall into the guest bedroom.    
“Wow, this room is gorgeous!” Hillary complimented, staring at the comfortable looking king sized bed in the centre of the room.    
“I hired an interior decorator obviously when I bought this place,” Scott admitted.    
“Obviously,” Hillary teased.    
“Hey!” Scott chuckled as Hillary playfully stuck her tongue out at him in return.   
“Well, she did a fantastic job,” Hillary complimented.    
“I think so, too,” Scott nodded as he led Hillary to another room. “I’ll give you her card for if you ever need a decorator. She’s great.”    
Hillary nodded as the two of them entered Scott’s home office.    
“Wow, that desk is beautiful,” Hillary complimented.    
“It’s antique,” Scott remarked.    
Hillary nodded. “And your bookcases are  _ amazing _ .”    
Scott nodded. “I love this room. It’s my second favorite room after the kitchen.”    
“Well, let’s check out the kitchen then,” Hillary suggested.    
Scott smiled, “Of course.”    
“This whole apartment is incredible,” Hillary remarked as they walked downstairs together.    
“Oh, goodness!” Hillary gasped as they got to the kitchen which looked like it could be a professional kitchen in a restaurant.    
“Everything’s state of the art,” Scott informed her. “I  _ love _ to cook.”    
“This is amazing,” Hillary marvelled, running a finger over the black marble counter tops. “I wish I lived in this apartment,” Hillary joked.    
“Feel free,” Scott teased.    
Hillary laughed her trademark loud laugh, thinking her old friend was just joking around.    
“You know you could live here,” Scott suddenly said with a serious tone of voice. He wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist.    
She bit her lip and sighed.    
“What?” Scott asked, frowning.    
Hillary shrugged and turned around to face him, “Nothing.”    
And before she knew it, Scott was leaning in to kiss her. Without hesitation, Hillary suddenly leaned in too and their lips softly touched. Hillary wrapped her arms around Scott’s neck as he gently kissed her, deepening the kiss.    
“Wow,” Scott said when he pulled away for air a few moments later.    
Hillary softly smiled at him in return.    
“That was so much more than what I ever imagined,” Scott admitted, smiling. “You’re so sexy,” he whispered.    
Hillary blushed and sheepishly looked away.    
“You  _ are _ !” Scott insisted. “I mean it.”    
“That was some kiss,” Hillary agreed, nodding.    
“Definitely,” Scott happily smiled and hugged her. He had been waiting over twenty years to one day be able to kiss Hillary Rodham.    
Hillary smiled at Scott in return after he pulled away.    
“Should we go back to the bedroom?” Scott asked.    
Hillary nodded without hesitation, knowing where things were heading.    
They lay down together when they got back upstairs to the master bedroom.    
“This bed is comfortable,” Hillary commented.    
“It could be your bed, too,” Scott suddenly said. “If you wanted it to be, that is,” he clarified.    
Hillary chuckled. “We haven’t spoken in twenty years. We barely know each other anymore.”    
“But we  _ do _ know each other,” Scott argued. “I’ve always liked you, Hillary. Hell, I think I’ve been in love with you all these years.” He wrapped his arms around his old friend and gently squeezed her.    
Hillary weakly smiled and lightly kissed his cheek. This was the most loved and desired she had felt in months.    
“Stay the night,” Scott offered, gently rubbing Hillary’s back when he noticed she looked tired again.    
“I wish I could,” Hillary heavily sighed.    
“And why can’t you?”    
Hillary sighed again.    
“ _ Please _ , Hillary,” Scott begged.  “Is it about Jessica?” he asked. “She’s a fully grown adult who already lives on her own. She’ll be fine.”    
“No, it’s not that,” Hillary replied. “I’m still married!” She pointed out.    
“But the divorce will be final in a few months. Right?” Scott asked.    
Hillary sighed and hesitated, “...Yes.”    
“So,” Scott shrugged. “It’s settled. You’re staying,” he said with a grin.    
Hillary worked up a smile and nodded. “Fine.”    
Scott grinned again and leaned in to kiss her again. Hillary moaned and passionately kissed him in return. Scott suddenly got on top of Hillary and straddled her.    
“Wait!” Hillary suddenly called out.    
Scott frowned and quickly rolled off of her.    
“No, no, no!” Hillary immediately regretted what she had just done. “No, it's okay. Shit, now I’ve made things awkward.”    
Scott sighed. “We can wait...if you want.”    
“No,” Hillary sighed. “It’s fine. It’s just been a  _ long _ time since I’ve done this with another man besides Bill.”    
“Are you sure?” Scott double checked.    
Hillary nodded. “I’m sure.”    
Scott nodded and got on top of Hillary again. Hillary smiled up at him and started slowly lifting up his T-shirt. She ran her hands across his taut, firm, muscled chest. Scott leaned down and started gently kissing Hillary’s neck which elicited a moan out of her. He started passionately kissing her lips again. Hillary moaned and gently kissed him back. Scott started unbuttoning her blouse and placing soft kisses down her neck and across her collarbone.    
“I’m nervous,” Hillary suddenly admitted, taking off her now unbuttoned blouse.    
“Oh, God. Me, too,” Scott admitted, chuckling. “You are absolutely beautiful, Hillary Rodham.”    
Hillary smiled and softly kissed him on the lips again. “Maybe we could wait after all? And just cuddle tonight?”    
“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Scott acquiesced.    
Hillary softly smiled. “Really? Are you sure?”    
Scott nodded and let Hillary softly snuggle up to him as he lay down beside her. He kissed the top of her head and then kissed her on the lips again.    
Hillary pulled away from the kiss after a few moments. “Wait. Are you actually serious about us? I don’t want this just to be some one night stand.”    
“Of course I’m serious about us,” Scott said with a straight face and a serious tone of voice. “Aren’t you?”    
Hillary nodded. “I just don’t know how we’re going to make it work.” She sighed.    
Scott frowned.    
Hillary heavily sighed again. “I have kids. They live in Chappaqua. Their lives are there. I can’t just move them to Manhattan on a whim.”    
“Well, the drive between Chappaqua and Manhattan isn’t  _ that _ bad. I could drive back and forth,” Scott offered.    
Hillary nodded. “Chelsea’s off to California in a few months anyways. And maybe we could live in Manhattan during the summer or something. Jessica’s going to need help with the baby.”    
Scott nodded. “Don’t worry about that yet. We’ll figure it out.”    
Hillary nodded again.    
Scott kissed her cheek just as Hillary heard her phone buzz with a text message. She grabbed it from the nightstand and looked at it. It was from Jessica.    
  


_ Are u ok? Where are u?  _

_ With Scott. At his place. I’m fine _ Hillary quickly typed back.  _ I’m staying the night. Don’t wait up. See you tomorrow.  _

“Everything okay?” Scott checked.    
Hillary nodded. “It was just Jessica checking in.”    
Scott nodded.    
“Do you have to work tomorrow?” Hillary asked him curiously.    
Scot nodded again. “I can go in a few hours late though. I’ll make us breakfast and then drive you back to Jessica’s,” he offered.    
Hillary softly smiled. “Thanks.”    
Scott grinned. “No problem, beautiful.”    
“Let’s go to sleep,” Hillary said and crawled under the covers.    
Scott pecked her lips before he also climbed under the covers. “Thank you for tonight, Hillary.”    
“No, thank  _ you _ ,” Hillary replied.    
Scott smiled and cuddled up to her. “Goodnight, Hill.” He hesitated for a moment before he added, “I love you.”    
Hillary hesitated.    
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it back,” Scott assured her, seeing the nervousness and uneasiness on her face. “I understand.”    
Hillary nodded. This whole night had felt strange to her. Especially considering she was  _ still _ technically married. “Thanks.”    
“I’m sorry if it feels like we’re moving too fast,” Scott apologized. “I do love you though. I have been in love with you for over twenty years and was just too scared to admit it.”    
Hillary bit her lip and looked down.    
“Talk to me, Hillary,” Scott frowned.    
Hillary sighed. “I don’t think we’re moving too fast but…” she shrugged and sighed again. “I don’t know. I like you. I  _ do _ . I do sometimes wonder what could have been in law school if you hadn’t been dating Stephanie. But right now, we’re probably moving a little fast for my tastes.”    
Scott nodded. “I understand. We can take as much time as you need going forward.”    
Hillary nodded. “Thank you,” she said appreciatively. “I do like you though,” she assured Scott.   
“I know,” Scott nodded. “And I like you, too.  _ A lot _ .”    
Hillary smiled brightly at him.    
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.    
Hillary smiled to herself. “You’re a good guy.”   
Scott chuckled. “Thanks. I try.”    
Hillary softly smiled and pecked Scott’s cheek. “Goodnight.”    
“Goodnight,” Scott replied, wrapping his arms around Hillary as they both drifted off to sleep.    


* * * * *   


Hillary woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes and Scott’s side of the bed empty and cold.    
She found her discarded blouse from the night before and put it on before she wandered downstairs.    
“Oh, are you awake?” Scott called from the kitchen, hearing her come down the stairs.    
“Yep,” she said, walking into the kitchen. “I’m up.” She smiled at Scott who was standing over the stove making pancakes. “Good morning.”    
“Morning,” Scott happily said, smiling back at her. “I hope you like pancakes.”    
“I love pancakes,” Hillary assured him. “I haven’t had them in forever.”    
“Well, that’s tragic,” Scott joked. “There’s nothing else in the world like pancakes.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “You mentioned last night that you like to cook?”    
“Oh, yeah,” Scott nodded, as he flipped the pancakes. “I taught myself to cook a few years ago and fell in love with it. It’s my one true hobby and passion outside of work.”    
“Well, you’ll have to teach me some tips and tricks,” Hillary teased, knowing that her skills in the kitchen were pretty basic and limited.    
“Gladly,” Scott grinned at her. “Hey, instead of going out somewhere tonight, how about you come over instead and we cook dinner together? How does homemade pizza sound?”    
“That sounds amazing,” Hillary grinned, liking the sound of that. A quiet night in where she could continue re-connecting with Scott in an intimate setting was  _ exactly  _ what she needed.    
Scott nodded happily. “Great! Did you sleep well, by the way?”    
Hillary nodded. “Your bed is amazingly comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well in my entire life.” She chuckled.    
Scott chuckled. “You’re adorable when you sleep.”    
Hillary blushed and shyly looked down at the ground.    
“And you’re adorable when you blush, too,” Scott said, laughing. “Coffee?” He offered.    
“Sure,” Hillary nervously laughed. “Just black please.”    
“How about a shot of espresso?” Scott offered.    
Hillary shrugged and nodded. “Sure, that sounds good.”    
Scott nodded and went over to his espresso maker.    
“I should go get dressed. I’m half naked,” Hillary realized, blushing and laughing.    
Scott chuckled. “Hey, I don’t mind.”    
Hillary blushed again.    
“Stop blushing!” Scott teased.    
Hillary giggled. “I can’t help it! You make me really, really nervous for some reason. You’re the first man I’ve been with since Bill in nearly twenty years. I don’t want to screw this up,” she admitted nervously.    
“You aren’t going to screw anything up, love,” Scott assured her, wrapping his arms around her.    
She smiled and let Scott gently peck her lips.    
“I love you. I really do,” Scott assured her.    
All Hillary could do was nod. “I can’t say it back yet. I still need time.”    
Scott nodded understandingly. “It’s fine. I understand. But I do love you. Remember that.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled. All she could think was how crazy this whole thing was. She had never expected to run into Scott in a million years. She had thought about him occasionally over the years but she had always been with Bill. And now she had just had a whirlwind few hours with Scott. Her life felt like she was living in a fairytale or a romantic comedy film in that very moment.    
“But how do you know that you love me?” Hillary asked Scott, seriously. “You haven’t seen or spoken to me in over twenty years. You love the twenty-five year old version of me. How can you be in love with me now after all this time?”    
“Don’t say things like that, Hillary,” Scott replied. “I know  _ you _ and I love you. I fell in love with you nearly twenty-five years ago.”    
“Well...it’s going to take me some time to get to that point,” Hillary admitted, nervously swallowing as Scott placed her coffee in front of her.    
Scott nodded. “I know.” He understood that it hadn’t been that long since she had left Bill and that she was still technically legally married. “But I’m  _ really _ glad we ran into each other last night. I’ve been wanting to call you for years. Now that you’re back in my life, I can’t imagine my life without you in it again.”    
Hillary softly smiled at him and leaned in. She gave Scott a gentle and tender kiss.    
“I’m going to get dressed now,” she said quietly after they pulled apart from each other.    
“Wait, eat first,” Scott said, going over to the stove to make Hillary a plate.    
Hillary smiled to herself and sat down at the kitchen table. “This looks delicious,” she complimented when Scott placed a plate of pancakes, strawberries and whipped cream in front of her a moment later.    
“It  _ is _ delicious,” Scott assured her, making his own plate.    
“Mmmm, that is  _ so _ good!” Hillary said after taking the first bite. “You really know how to treat a girl,” she chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee.    
Scott laughed. “Well, I try.”    
Hillary smiled and rested her feet in his lap. Scott immediately started rubbing them without Hillary having to say anything.    
“That feels good,” she moaned, feeling content. After the hell she had been through the past few months with yet another one of Bill’s affairs, and her finally leaving him, she had needed to be treated like a woman again. She was relishing in the feeling of being desired and loved so deeply by a man again.   
Scott grinned, “I need to marry you.”    
Hillary snapped her head up from her breakfast plate to look at him. “Okay,  _ now _ we’re moving a little fast.” She nervously chuckled.    
“I’m sorry,” Scott sighed and groaned. “I just really,  _ really  _ like you, Hillary.”   
“It’s okay,” Hillary chuckled and smiled. “I like you, too.” She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.    
“I’m sorry I’m being so forward with you,” Scott sincerely apologized.    
“No, it’s fine,” Hillary assured him before they were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She held up a hand to Scott apologetically and answered it. “Hello?”    
“Hey, mom,” Chelsea said.    
“Oh, hi, Chels!” Hillary happily said, happy to hear from her daughter. “How are things?”    
“Everything’s good,” Chelsea assured Hillary. “I just wanted to check on you before I leave for school. You forgot to call to say goodnight last night.”   
“Oh, shoot,” Hillary realized. She had been so caught up with everything, she had forgotten to call Chelsea the night before. “I’m sorry, Chels.”    
“It’s okay,” Chelsea said. “I’m glad New York City is treating you well.”    
“It is,” Hillary assured the younger woman. “What are you guys doing today after school? Got any fun plans?”    
“I don’t know yet. We’ll probably just hang out at home later. Hayley has been kind of fussy this morning. What are you and Jess doing today?” Chelsea asked.    
“Oh...the same. Jess and I are just gonna, y’know...hang out,” Hillary nervously and awkwardly answered since she couldn’t tell Chelsea about her actual plans for the day.    
“Okay then…” Chelsea replied, realizing her mother didn’t sound like her usual self-assured self. “Well, Hayley and I miss you.”    
“Aww, I miss you girls, too,” Hillary softly smiled to herself. She was loving spending time with Jessica but she also couldn’t wait to see her other daughters the next day.    
“How was Jess’s doctor’s appointment?” Chelsea asked.    
“Oh, it was great!” Hillary answered. “The baby is perfectly healthy. And we found out she’s having a little girl.”   
“Aww, a girl!” Chelsea squealed excitedly. She couldn’t wait to become an aunt. “That’s awesome. I’ll have to text her later.”    
“Yeah, she’ll appreciate that,” Hillary said. “I love you, Chels. Have a good day at school, okay?”    
“I will. Love you, too,” Chelsea replied. “Bye, mom.”   
“Bye. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, honey.” She hung up the phone and sighed.    
“Was that your daughter?” Scott asked.    
Hillary nodded. “I miss Chelsea and Hayley so much.” She sighed again.    
“Well, you’ll see them soon,” Scott assured her. “I bet you’re an amazing mother.”    
Hillary shrugged. “I try my best.”    
Scott gently smiled at her.    
“Anyways, breakfast was delicious,” Hillary complimented him, changing the subject.    
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Scott smiled at her.    
“I don’t want to leave,” Hillary sighed to herself.    
“Well you’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Scott reassured her.    
Hillary nodded. “Yeah but I don’t want to leave the city and go back to Chappaqua.” She sighed again. “I want to stay with you,” she admitted, suddenly feeling vulnerable.    
“Go home to your kids and I promise, I’ll visit soon,” Scott assured her, getting up from the table to give her a hug.    
Hillary nodded and squeezed Scott in return.    
“When do you leave?” Scott asked.    
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Hillary answered.    
“Well, I’ll definitely come and visit you,” Scott affirmed. “I don’t want to be without you anymore.”    
Hillary nodded and gave Scott a gentle smile.    
“Come on, I’ll drive you back to Jessica’s,” Scott offered.    
Hillary smiled and nodded.    


* * * * *

“Wow, nice car,” Hillary complimented after they had gotten dressed and gone down to the underground parking garage. Scott had led her over to a brand new black Mercedes SUV.    
“Thanks. It’s my baby,” Scott joked.    
Hillary chuckled and got in the passenger seat.    
“So, where does Jessica live?” Scott asked.    
“The West Village,” Hillary answered.    
Scott nodded and started driving.    
After battling their way through New York City’s busy morning traffic, they eventually reached Jessica’s building.    
“I’ll walk you in,” Scott offered.    
Hillary nodded. “Thanks.”    
“No problem,” Scott smiled at her. He grabbed her hand as they entered the building and got on the elevator together.    
“Shit, I don’t have a key,” Hillary realized when they got to Jessica’s door a few minutes later. “Hopefully Jess is home,” she said as she knocked on the door.    
“Hey!” Jessica greeted, when she answered the door a few moments later.    
“Hi!” Hillary grinned and hugged Jessica.    
“Hi, Scott,” Jessica politely greeted when Hillary pulled away from the hug a moment later.    
Scott smiled at Jessica. “Hi.”    
“Can you give us a minute, Jess? I was just making sure you were home,” Hillary said.    
Jessica nodded. “Of course.” She went back inside the apartment and left Hillary and Scott to say their goodbyes in the hallway.    
Hillary smiled as Scott gave her a tight hug. “I’ll see you tonight,” she said.    
“Yep,” Scott nodded. “How about I pick you up at seven?”    
Hillary nodded. “Sounds good.”   
He leaned in and kissed her. “See you later, beautiful.”    
“Bye,” Hillary smiled at him. “I’ll see you later,” she said before she went inside Jessica’s apartment.    
“So, how was it?” Jessica eagerly asked, picking up her coffee mug and taking a sip of decaf coffee.    
“Amazing!” Hillary gushed, grinning while she took her coat off.    
“Awesome!” Jessica squealed, happy that her mom had gotten back on the horse so to speak.   
“His apartment is  _ gorgeous _ ,” Hillary commented. “I’m going over there again tonight for another date.”    
Jessica grinned. “That’s great, mom.”    
“Unless that’s not okay with you?” Hillary suddenly grimaced. “I know this trip was supposed to be a girls week.”    
“What? No, its perfectly fine, mom,” Jessica assured her mother. “I __ _want_ you to go. Plus, Sam asked me out.” She shyly smiled.    
Hillary smiled. “Really? That’s great, honey.”    
Jessica nodded. “We had fun last night. He took the whole pregnancy thing surprisingly well.”    
“Good! I’m so glad!” Hillary gave Jessica a relieved smile.    
“I really like Sam,” Jessica smiled dreamily.    
“And I really like Scott,” Hillary admitted, smiling broadly.    
“When are you coming back to visit?” Jessica asked.    
“In the middle of May for your graduation,” Hillary answered. “But I’ll try my best to get to the city when I can on weekends for little visits.”    
Jessica nodded. “I’ll miss you so much when you go back to Chappaqua.”    
Hillary frowned.    
“Why can't you just move to Manhattan?” Jessica sighed. “I’ll need baby help.”    
“No, you move in with me in Chappaqua after graduation,” Hillary countered.    
“But I don’t want to!” Jessica whined. “You have Scott now so just move to the city.”    
“First of all, I don’t  _ have _ Scott yet. And second of all, I can’t leave your sisters nor can I move them here. Chelsea  _ just _ started at her new school.”    
Jessica sighed. “Ugh, fine,” she huffed.    
Hillary chuckled. “I’ll see you soon. You’ll be fine. Now come on, help me pick out an outfit for tonight.”    


* * * * *

“Do I look okay?” Hillary nervously asked Jessica later that night while they both sat in Jessica’s bedroom and finished applying their makeup for their respective dates.    
“Yeah, mom. You look amazing!” Jessica complimented, staring at Hillary appreciatively.    
“Thanks for letting me borrow another shirt,” Hillary gratefully said.    
“No problem,” Jessica assured her mom.    
“Oh my God. He’s here,” Hillary nervously said when they heard a light knock on the door.    
Jessica chuckled and went to answer it.    
“Hey,” Scott politely greeted Jessica.    
“Hey!” Jessica happily chirped back. “She’s really nervous. Tell her she looks pretty,” Jessica playfully whispered to him.    
Scott chuckled and nodded as Hillary came out of the bedroom and appeared in the living room. “Hey, Hillary. Wow, you look gorgeous.”    
“Thanks,” Hillary smiled shyly at him.    
“We should get going,” Scott said.    
“Bye. See you later, mom,” Jessica said.    
“Bye, sweetie,” Hillary replied. “Have fun with Sam and be safe.”    
Jessica nodded. “You, too.”    
Hillary nodded and left with Scott.    
“You look nice,” she complimented Scott while they went down to his car.    
“Thanks,” Scott replied, opening the car door for Hillary. “You look amazing.”    
“Thank you,” Hillary smiled, accepting the compliment as she got in the car. “So, back to your place?” She asked Scott when he had gotten in on the driver’s side.    
Scott nodded. “You can help me make the pizza.”    
Hillary chuckled nervously. “Alright.”    


* * * * *   


“So, I already have the dough prepared and rolled out. We just have to add the toppings,” Scott explained, as he led Hillary inside his penthouse and took her coat.    
“Perfect,” Hillary chirped as she took her shoes off.    
“You can leave your shoes on. It doesn’t matter,” Scott informed her. “I don’t mind.”    
“My feet are killing me,” Hillary admitted. “Borrowing these from Jessica wasn’t the best idea,” she explained chuckling as she took off the tall black stiletto pumps and set them next to the elevator.    
“Well damn, they made your legs look sexy as hell,” Scott smiled slyly at her and ran his eyes up and down her waist and legs.    
Hillary blushed.    
“But you're still sexy without them,” Scott assured her, staring at her hungrily. “Now, come on,” he said and led her into the kitchen and over to the kitchen island in the middle of the room where he had set up a complete pizza making station.    
“I want extra, extra cheese,” Hillary informed Scott as she followed his lead and started putting pizza sauce on her individual pizza.    
“Sure,” Scott chuckled.    
“Oh my god, you remembered!” Hillary squealed, seeing a bowl of jalapeno peppers on the kitchen island.    
“Of course I did,” Scott smiled as he turned some music on. “You think I’d forget?”    
“You are so adorable and thoughtful,” Hillary smiled gratefully at him.    
“I try,” Scott joked as he got a bottle of Chardonnay from the fridge. “Wine?”    
“Yes, please,” Hillary nodded. “I’m hungry,” she added as he poured them each a glass of wine.    
“Well, good,” Scott chuckled.    
“Bill thought I was crazy for liking jalapenos on pizza,” Hillary said as they both added their preferred toppings to their individual pizzas.    
“It is a  _ little _ crazy,” Scott pointed out.    
“Oh, shut up!” Hillary laughed loudly.    
Scott laughed in return. “Ready to put them in the oven?” he asked when he noticed Hillary was adding the last touch of extra cheese and pepperoni to her pizza.    
Hillary nodded while Scott smiled and helped her put their dinner in the already preheated oven before he set the oven timer. They grabbed their wine glasses and headed into the living room. Scott gently wrapped his arm around Hillary’s shoulders while she curled up comfortably on the couch.    
“It’s so nice in your apartment,” Hillary complimented, comfortably resting her head against Scott’s shoulder. “The heat’s broken in Jessica’s building.”   
“Yeah, she doesn’t live in the nicest building,” Scott frowned.    
Hillary sighed. “I know. I’m trying to convince her to move in with me in Chappaqua when she finishes school. At least for the summer. She has her eyes set on Yale for grad school.”    
“Yeah, she should move out of her building when she’s finished school,” Scott agreed.    
“I’m so worried about her,” Hillary frowned.    
“Well, don’t worry,” Scott pecked Hillary’s lips. “I don’t know her that well but I’m sure she’ll be fine and figure everything out eventually.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled. Jessica reminded her so much of herself. Scott was right. Jessica always faced challenges head on and she knew deep inside that Jessica would get her life in order sooner rather than later.  
Suddenly, caught up in the moment, Hillary wrapped her arms around Scott’s neck and started kissing him, deeply and passionately. Scott responded, deepening the kiss before he pushed Hillary down onto the couch so she was lying on her back. Hillary relaxed as Scott ran his hand under her shirt and undid her bra. She helped him along by taking her shirt off. She moaned as Scott began kissing her neck.    
“You smell so good,” Scott murmured.    
Hillary smiled to herself and pulled Scott’s shirt off. She couldn’t believe she was doing this but she had let all her inhibitions go and was just going along for the ride. Scott had started kissing her lips again when the oven timer suddenly dinged.    
“Shit!” Scott cursed. “I’ll be right back!” He held up his hand and looked at Hillary apologetically while he went to take the pizzas out of the oven.    
Hillary chuckled and waited for Scott to come back. She put her bra and shirt back on in the meantime.    
“Ready to eat?” Scott asked when he came back as he started setting the dining room table.    
Hillary nodded. “We can finish later,” she smirked.    
Scott smirked in return and nodded.    
Hillary smiled and took a swig of her wine before she sat down at the table across from Scott.    
“Bon Appetit,” Scott smiled and grabbed a slice of pizza.    
Hillary followed suit and took a bite. “Wow! This is amazing!” She gushed.    
“Well you made it, Blondie,” Scott pointed out.    
“And I can’t believe it myself,” Hillary joked. “I can barely scramble an egg.”    
“I really don’t understand how one person can be so cute,” Scott chuckled, amused by Hillary’s excitement.    
Hillary blushed. “Well you’re pretty adorable yourself.” She took another sip of wine. “Think of how cute our kids would be,” she absentmindedly said, the words coming out before she could stop herself.    
“I didn’t know you wanted more kids,” Scott remarked.    
Hillary shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. I love kids. Maybe if we got serious and you wanted a kid.”   
“No, don’t do it just for me,” Scott pointed out, chuckling nervously.    
“But don’t you want children?” Hillary asked.    
“Well, yes,” Scott admitted. “But you already have three.”    
Hillary chuckled. “I guess we are getting  _ very _ ahead of ourselves. We’ll see I guess. I wouldn’t mind. If you wanted one badly enough. I haven’t hit menopause yet,” she admitted.    
Scott shrugged. “I could adopt. Like you did.”    
Hillary nodded. “That could be nice. Adopting Hayley is one of the best things I ever did.”    
“Well, we’ll see,” Scott shrugged again, slowly sipping his wine.    
Hillary nodded again. “Yeah, we’ll just have to see where things go.” She smiled and Scott smiled in return. Suddenly he sighed.    
“Before we go any further, I should probably tell you something,” he admitted.    
“Oh,” Hillary swallowed. “What is it?” She asked. If there were going to be any red flags, she would rather know about them sooner rather than later. She stared at Scott encouragingly and reached across the table for his hand. “You can tell me anything.”   
“Well…” Scott began. “Back in the 90s I was working in corporate law and living in Los Angeles. I got mixed up with the wrong crowd and work was incredibly stressful. And well, I got hooked on cocaine pretty badly.”   
“Oh,” Hillary swallowed again and slightly frowned.    
“But I got help for my addiction eventually. I went to rehab. I’ve been clean and sober for a decade now. It’ll be eleven years clean this July,” Scott reassured Hillary, squeezing her hand.    
Hillary nodded, still formulating her thoughts but she was still looking at Scott in an encouraging manner.    
“I still have a sponsor and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings a few times a month to keep myself accountable. I still drink, yes, but the hardest drug I touch nowadays is an aspirin,” Scott continued.    
“Well, thank you for opening up to me about that,” Hillary softly smiled at Scott. “I’m proud of you for realizing you had a problem and getting help for it. Ten years clean is a big achievement,” Hillary said understandingly. Dating a recovering addict would have its challenges she knew but she was encouraged by the fact that he had been clean for so long.    
Scott smiled in relief. “Thank you.” He picked up her hand and tenderly kissed it. “I’m glad that’s out of the way.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled. “Me, too.”    
They finished up the rest of their dinner, making pleasant conversation along the way as they enjoyed getting to know each other all over again after so many years.    
  


After a while when their dinner had wound down and they were both finished eating, Scott grabbed Hillary’s hand and led her up to the master bedroom. Hillary took her shirt off again and lay down with Scott on top of the bed. Scott smiled, pulled his shirt off and straddled Hillary. She moaned as he leaned down and started passionately kissing her. Scott undid her jeans and pulled them down. Hillary arched her back and started pulling down her panties. Scott helped her along and ripped them off.    
Hillary suddenly started gasping in pleasure as Scott started gently flicking her clit. “Oh my God,” she moaned. Scott paused what he was doing to take off his pants before he straddled her again.    
“Fuck me,” Hillary said impulsively, wanting nothing more than for Scott to be inside of her. This sex had been twenty-five years in the making.    
Scott nodded and slowly inserted himself inside Hillary’s core.    
“Oh, Goooodddd,” Hillary moaned out as he started slowly thrusting back and forth. “Yes, don’t stop!” She panted. This was the most loved and desired she had felt in months...years maybe. She groaned as Scott started kissing her neck and found her sweet spot. He started thrusting faster.    
“Yes!” Hillary moaned. “Oh, yes. Faster, please.”    
Scott happily obeyed, grunting and groaning.    
“Oh, fuck!” Hillary cried out, gasping in ectasy. “Yes! Yes!” She started to climax and arched her head back as familiar waves of pleasure ran through her. “Oh my God!” Scott came with her and they both breathlessly collapsed against the bed, both feeling completely satisfied.    
“Holy shit,” Scott said, trying to catch his breath.    
Hillary smirked. She knew she probably shouldn’t have had sex with another man while she was still  _ technically  _ married but she didn’t regret anything that had just transpired.    
“I had been dreaming about that for years,” Scott admitted. “And you were incredible.”    
“ _ You _ were incredible,” Hillary panted out, gasping for air. Sex with Scott had been different than sex with Bill. It had been quicker, more mechanical and less passionate but...different was good.    
She leaned over and passionately kissed Scott.    
Scott smiled over at her, “I love you, Hillary.”    
Hillary just nodded, not being able to say it back yet. “I want more pizza,” she giggled. “That sex made me work up an appetite again."    
“Alright,” Scott chuckled. “Be right back.”    
Hillary smiled and nodded as she watched Scott leave the room. She turned on his TV while she waited for him.    
“Here you go,” he said a few minutes later, coming back with two more slices of pizza for her on a plate.    
“Thank you!” Hillary excitedly said, taking the plate from him.    
“No problem,” Scott chuckled, getting back into bed with her. “That sex was amazing.”   
“Definitely,” Hillary agreed.    
“Just...wow,” Scott laughed. He was speechless.    
Hillary giggled.   
“I love you!” Scott grinned broadly and leaned in to kiss her again. Hillary smiled against the kiss. Just as she pulled away and went to take a bite of pizza, her cell phone rang.    
“Hold on,” Hillary apologetically said, putting down the pizza on the nightstand and picking up her phone. “Hello?”   
“Mom?”    
“Hey, baby,” Hillary said, hearing Jessica’s voice on the other end. “What’s going on?”    
“Something’s wrong!” Jessica worriedly cried out. “My stomach hurts! I don’t know what’s wrong! It’s weird! Like cramps or something.”    
“Okay, I’ll be there soon,” Hillary nervously said. She frowned. “Just try to stay calm.”    
“Hurry!” Jessica whined.    
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Hillary assured her daughter and hung up. “I’m so sorry, Scott. I have to go back to Jessica’s.”    
“What’s going on?” Scott nervously asked.    
“Her stomach hurts. She said it feels like cramps,” Hillary nervously said. Scott could see the fear and worry etched across her face.    
“I’ll drive you,” Scott offered.    
Hillary nodded. “Please.”    
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Scott tried reassuring Hillary as they both got dressed.    
Hillary nodded. “I hope so.” She put her clothes back on and found her purse. “Come on. Let’s go.”    


* * * * *

When they got to Jessica’s apartment building, Hillary quickly ran upstairs, not bothering to wait for the finicky elevator.    
“Mama!” Jessica cried, tears rolling down her face as she flung the door open after hearing Hillary’s knocking. “It hurts!”    
“Okay, baby. Scott’s downstairs,” Hillary said gently, reaching her hands out for Jessica. “We’re going to take you to the hospital.”    
Jessica groaned in pain and nodded. Hillary helped her into her coat and took Jessica’s keys from her, locking the apartment door behind them. She gently led Jessica first to the elevator and then out to Scott’s car which was waiting right outside the building.    
Jessica moaned in pain as Hillary helped her into the car.    
“Shhh,” Hillary tried soothing her, getting into the backseat with her.    
Jessica tightly squeezed Hillary’s hand as a wave of pain ran through her stomach.    
“Are you bleeding?” Hillary asked worriedly.    
Jessica managed to shake her head.    
“Shhh, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Hillary was trying her best to remain optimistic, despite seeing how much pain her daughter was in. She gently and soothingly rubbed Jessica’s back. And before they knew it, Scott was pulling up to the entrance to the Emergency Room at the closest hospital.    
“I have to go park the car. I’ll meet you inside,” Scott said as Hillary started helping Jessica out of the car.    
Hillary nodded. “Just wait for us in the waiting room.”    
Scott nodded and watched as Hillary took Jessica inside.    
“What’s going on?” A nurse said, as they approached the triage desk. She automatically handed Hillary a clipboard of forms that needed filling out.    
“My daughter has stomach cramps. She’s sixteen weeks pregnant,” Hillary explained, trying her best to remain calm.    
The nurse nodded. “Fill out those forms and we’ll get a doctor to check her out as soon as possible.”    
Hillary nodded and led Jessica over to a waiting area.    
“Sorry for ruining your date,” Jessica sheepishly said as they both sat down in the uncomfortable plastic waiting room chairs.    
“Shush,” Hillary said. “You’re more important. Don’t worry about it.”    
Jessica just nodded as a nurse came to get them and led them to an exam room.    
Hillary reassuringly squeezed Jessica’s hand while they waited for the doctor as Jessica quietly moaned in pain.    
“Hello,” A middle aged male doctor greeted them, coming into the room a few minutes later, picking up Jessica’s chart. “I’m Dr. Greene.”    
“Hi,” Jessica managed to get out.    
“What seems to be the problem today?” Dr. Greene asked.    
“I have cramps,” Jessica moaned. “And I’m sixteen weeks pregnant. I had an appointment yesterday and everything was fine.”   
The doctor nodded. “I’ll call for an OB consult but in the meantime I’ll have to do an ultrasound to check things out.”   
Jessica nodded and lifted up her shirt as he got the ultrasound machine set up.    
“This will be cold,” he warned before putting the gel on her stomach.    
Jessica nodded.    
Hillary squeezed her hand tightly as the doctor started the ultrasound.    
Well, the baby has a strong heartbeat,” Dr. Greene reassured Hillary and Jessica.    
“Oh thank God,” Jessica sighed in relief. “So what’s going on?”    
“You’re not bleeding right?” The doctor confirmed.    
Jessica shook her head. “No, there’s no bleeding.”    
Dr. Greene nodded and wrote something down on her chart. “Excuse me Ms. Clinton if this is a sensitive question but when was the last time you passed gas?”    
“Ummm…” Jessica frowned as she thought back. “It’s been a few hours I guess.” She nervously bit her lip.    
“I’m going to run some tests to rule out an infection which can be a serious pregnancy complication, but honestly, Ms. Clinton. I think this is just a case of severe gas pains. It’s a common pregnancy symptom,” Dr. Greene explained.    
Jessica and Hillary both chuckled and sighed in relief.    
“Seriously? That’s all this is?” Jessica asked, the relief evident in her voice.    
“Well, like I said, we’ll run some tests but everything looks good and the baby is strong and healthy,” the doctor reassured Jessica.    
“Oh, really? Good!” Jessica smiled, feeling much more reassured.    
The doctor nodded. “Make sure you’re eating several small meals a day throughout the day and drink plenty of water. Exercise can sometimes help aid digestion as well.”    
Jessica nodded. “Got it.”    
“And after you’re discharged, go home and take it easy for the rest of the night,” Dr. Greene added.    
Jessica nodded again. “Of course.”    
“I’ll order those tests right away,” Dr. Greene said before asking the nurse to set up for a blood draw.    
“Thank you  _ so _ much,” Jessica gratefully said. She turned to her mother. “Oh, thank God.”    
Hillary smiled at her daughter. She was also incredibly relieved it was just gas. “Yeah, really.”    
“Where’s Scott?” Jessica asked. “I need to apologize for ruining your night over something so stupid. I can’t believe I made you take me to the ER over some gas pains. This is so embarrassing.”    
“You didn’t ruin our night, sweetie,” Hillary reassured Jessica. “And I’m glad we came to the hospital. It’s better to be safe than sorry. It could have been much worse.”   
Jessica nodded in agreement.   
“Besides, Scott’s fine,” Hillary assured Jessica. “He’s in a great mood.”    
“Did you two have sex or something?” Jessica smirked.    
“I’m not saying,” Hillary didn’t want to divulge that information to her daughter but the look on her face totally gave her away.    
“Ewww!” Jessica giggled. “You two totally had sex. Gross.”    
“Well, its weird to think about you and Derek having sex!” Hillary countered.    
Jessica chuckled. “Fair enough.”    
“Your little bump is so cute,” Hillary smiled fondly at her daughter.    
Jessica rubbed it. “I know.” She looked down at it. “I love you, Sophia.”    
Hillary smiled at the sight.    
“I talk to her a lot,” Jessica said. “Is that weird?”    
“No, not at all,” Hillary replied. “I talked to you and Chelsea a lot when I was pregnant with you girls.”    
Jessica smiled, “Aww.”    
Hillary smiled nostalgically at the memories. “Yeah.” She changed the subject. “How was your date with Sam?”   
“Fantastic!” Jessica gushed. She suddenly frowned. “Until I started feeling sick and had to go home. He was really understanding but I still feel bad.”    
“Hey, there’s no need to feel guilty,” Hillary assured Jessica, squeezing her hand. “These things happen. He’ll understand. I’m sure you’ll make it up to him another time.”    
Jessica nodded in agreement. “Of course.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled softly at Jessica, gently stroking her hair. “Now hopefully they hurry up with those tests so we can get out of here.”    
  


To Be Continued…    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't scare anybody too badly with the ending of this chapter haha. Thanks for reading. Glad you're all still enjoying, even though Billary has to take a little backseat for now. There will be Billary in the chapters to come, I promise. 
> 
> I was already between jobs pre COVID and have been kind of slacking with job searching so this story is providing a fun distraction and is making me feel productive in (self imposed at this point) quarantine even though I don't get paid for it haha. Hence the regular updates haha. I'm pretty ahead with my writing for this one so far. So once again, thank you for reading and sticking with this story. It makes me really happy. 
> 
> :)


	7. Graduation Day/Surprise Part II

**3 MONTHS LATER**

“Are you almost ready to go, sweetheart?” Hillary asked Jessica as they finished getting ready to leave for her college graduation ceremony.  
“Yep, I’m good to go,” Jessica said. She reached out her arm for Hillary to help her up off the couch.  
Hillary chuckled and helped pull her up.  
“I’m tired of being huge,” Jessica complained, grabbing her purse. “I can’t believe I still have two more months to go,” she groaned. "I'm only gonna get bigger."   
“The next two months will fly by. I promise,” Hillary assured Jessica, chuckling.  
“I hope so,” Jessica sighed.  
Hillary smiled fondly at her oldest daughter. “I’m so proud of you, honey.” She got on her tippy toes and quickly pecked Jessica’s cheek.  
Jessica smiled. “Thanks, mom.” She checked her watch. “But we better get a move on. The ceremony starts in an hour and a half and I still have to pick up my cap and gown.”  
Hillary nodded but she suddenly frowned. “Hold that thought!” She managed to get out before covering her mouth and running into Jessica’s bathroom.  
Jessica frowned. “Mom?”  
She heard what sounded like her mom throwing up. She walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. “Mom? Are you okay?”  
“I’m fine, sweetie!” she heard Hillary call out before she heard the toilet flush and the tap run for a few seconds. Hillary opened the door and finished wiping her mouth off.  
“Okay, now we can go,” Hillary said to Jessica. She smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that.”  
“Are you okay?” Jessica asked again.  
“I’m perfectly fine, honey,” Hillary repeated but her cheeks looked slightly flushed. She wiped some sweat off her brow that had accumulated while she was throwing up. “Now let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” She slung her purse over her shoulder.  
“You’re not knocked up are you?” Jessica teased, smirking.  
“Jessica!” Hillary admonished. “Don’t even joke about that. It must be that stomach bug that’s going around my office. I’m fine.”  
“Are you sure?” Jessica double checked.  
Hillary loudly laughed. “Yes, Jessica. I’m sure. I don’t think I can even _get_ pregnant anymore at this point. I’m old.”  
“Do you and Scott use protection?” Jessica asked.  
“I’m _not_ talking about this with you, Jess,” Hillary blushed. “Now come on. Everyone’s waiting for us in the car downstairs.”  
Jessica didn’t look convinced.  
“I didn’t even get a period this month,” Hillary argued.  
“That’s because you’re pregnant, mom!” Jessica chuckled.  
“It’s just menopause, Jess,” Hillary retorted.  
“Well it wouldn’t hurt to take a pregnancy test,” Jessica pointed out.  
“There’s no point, Jessica,” Hillary said, starting to get aggravated with her oldest daughter. “I’m not pregnant. I promise.”  
Jessica rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you have a stomach bug. It’s morning sickness!”  
Hillary scoffed as they left Jessica’s apartment and started walking down the hallway to the elevator. “Jessica, I’m forty-seven years old.”  
“So?” Jessica shrugged, pressing the button for the elevator. “You never know. Anything is possible. My friend Amy's mom had Amy's little sister when she was in her forties.”  
“Jessica, Bill and I tried for _years_ after we had Chelsea with no luck. I’m pretty sure I’m infertile. And besides, I’m about to be a grandma in two months.”  
Jessica shrugged. “You were practically begging for this. You and Scott are _constantly_ having unprotected sex I bet.”  
“Jessica!” Hillary scolded, her face turning bright red.  
"What? The guest bedroom at his place is _right_ across the hall from his bedroom," Jessica shrugged. "You guys were _super loud_ when I stayed over a few weeks ago."   
Hillary just blushed a deeper red.   
“Come on, let’s go get a pregnancy test,” Jessica tried, not fazed by her mother at all.  
Hillary chuckled. “You’re about to graduate from college in an hour. Don’t you have more important things to worry about right now? Like getting to the ceremony on time?”  
“At least make a doctor’s appointment soon?” Jessica suggested, shrugging as they got on the elevator that had just arrived.  
“Fine. I’ll buy a pregnancy test after the ceremony if it’ll get you off my back,” Hillary sighed, feeling worn down by Jessica’s inability to let the issue go. 

* * * * * 

When they arrived at the ceremony and Jessica had gone off to pick up her cap and gown and to join the rest of the graduating class, Scott, Hillary, Chelsea, and Hayley found their seats. Hillary smiled over at Scott when he squeezed her hand.  
“Hi.” They suddenly heard behind them.  
“Dad!” Chelsea squealed when they turned around and saw Bill standing there.  
“Hey, princess!” Bill grinned, giving her a tight hug.  
“Dada!” Hayley excitedly cooed.  
“Hi, my sweet girl!” Bill smiled happily, excited to see his children.  
“Hi, Bill,” Hillary managed to politely say while she got Hayley settled on her lap, as Bill took a seat next to Chelsea. They had managed to be civil to each other the week prior at Chelsea’s high school graduation so she didn’t see why they couldn’t be civil to each other at Jessica’s graduation either.  
“Hi, Hillary,” Bill politely said back, trying his best to ignore Scott. “So, big day, huh?”  
Hillary nodded. “I’m so proud of her.”  
Bill nodded in agreement. “Me, too.”  
“Thank you for coming. You didn’t have to,” Hillary said.  
“It was no problem,” Bill softly smiled. “I wanted to support her...And you," he hesitantly added.   
Hillary nodded again. It hadn’t escaped her that Bill had taken the time to attend the ceremony when Jessica’s own biological dad hadn’t even bothered to show up.  
“Nick didn’t come,” Hillary sighed. “But it’s nice that you guys are here. Thank you,” she said to Bill and Scott.  
Scott smiled and pecked Hillary’s cheek. “Thank you for inviting me.”  
Bill looked away and rolled his eyes at them.  
“Be nice,” Chelsea hissed at him. “She’s happy, dad.”  
Bill sighed and nodded. He knew Chelsea was right. Besides, he had a fiancee now after proposing to Alexis when he realized Hillary wasn't leaving Scott any time soon. So it was only fair that Hillary had moved on too and was dating someone. He was the one who had driven her away so now he had to sadly live with his own consequences. 

* * * * * 

A while later, Hillary couldn’t help but tear up slightly when Jessica walked—or rather waddled—across the stage to receive her diploma.  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Scott reassuringly squeezed her hand.  
Hillary chuckled to herself. “I know. I’m just so proud of her. She’s my baby.”  
Bill looked over at Hillary, with an equally proud expression on his face. Hillary couldn’t help but smile over at Bill in return. Bill returned the smile and nodded at Hillary. 

* * * * * * 

They all stood up to leave when the ceremony ended an hour or so later.   
“Mama!” Hayley happily cooed. “Jessie?”  
Hillary grinned at her as she cuddled Hayley close to her. “We’ll see Jessie in a few minutes, sweetheart.”  
“Oh, yeah!” Hayley excitedly cooed.  
Hillary chuckled before another wave of nausea overcame her. She quickly passed Hayley over to Chelsea and ran to the nearest washroom.  
“Where’s mom going?” Jessica asked, frowning as she came over to where they were standing.  
“Bathroom,” Scott explained.  
“I think she felt sick or something,” Chelsea frowned.  
Jessica turned to Scott and grinned. “You knocked her up!” She whispered into his ear while Scott handed her a bouquet of congratulatory flowers.  
“What?” Scott asked, the colour draining from his face.  
Jessica just chuckled and passed the flowers back to Scott so that she could go find her mom.  
  


“I’m not pregnant,” Hillary held up a hand to silence Jessica when she saw Jessica waiting for her outside the bathroom a few minutes later.  
Jessica scoffed. “Come on. You said you’d buy a pregnancy test after the ceremony.”  
Hillary sighed, forgetting she’d promised that. “Fine. After your graduation dinner though.”  
Jessica nodded and sighed. “Fine. Now let’s go join everybody else.”  
Hillary nodded. “Congratulations by the way.”  
Jessica smiled broadly. “Thanks. Did my dad come?”  
Hillary frowned. “No, baby. I’m so sorry.”  
“Oh, it’s okay,” Jessica shrugged, trying to hide her disappointment. She faked a smile. “I didn’t really expect him to. He’s got his wedding to finish planning and lots of other important stuff.” She half-heartedly shrugged again. “I don’t think I’ll make the wedding. The doctor said not to fly past the seventh month. It’s not like he’ll miss me being there or anything anyways.” She suddenly unexpectedly teared up.  
Hillary frowned.  
“Why does he hate me?” Jessica quietly asked.  
“Oh sweetie,” Hillary sadly sighed. “He doesn’t hate you. Don’t cry. This is your big day.”  
Jessica nodded and swiped away her tears. “Damn pregnancy hormones,” she chuckled. “Thank God I was smart enough to wear waterproof mascara today.”  
Hillary chuckled. “How about you leave hating your father up to me so that you don’t have to? Okay?”  
Jessica nodded. “Okay.”  
Hillary weakly smiled, feeling bad. “Well, Bill came at least.”  
“Aww. He did?” Jessica weakly smiled, feeling oddly touched.  
Hillary nodded.  
“How was that? Was it awkward?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary shrugged. “I think he wanted to punch Scott the whole time but everybody managed to be civil.”  
Jessica chuckled. “We better rescue Chelsea and make sure they’re still being civil without us there to intervene.”  
Hillary chuckled and nodded.  
“I’m going to go find Sam,” Jessica said.  
Hillary nodded. “Sure. Is he joining us for dinner?”  
Jessica nodded.  
“Great!” Hillary chirped.  
They found everyone waiting for them outside the venue, congregated on the front steps.  
“Congratulations, honey,” Sam came over to them and gave Jessica a peck on the cheek.  
“Thanks!” Jessica grinned.  
“You two are _too_ adorable,” Hillary gushed.  
“We’re adorable, too, sweetheart,” Scott said, wrapping his arm around Hillary’s waist.  
“No, you’re not,” Bill muttered under his breath.  
“Dad!” Chelsea elbowed him.  
“So, who’s hungry?” Scott changed the subject, after hearing Bill’s not so subtle jab.   
“Would you like to join us for dinner, Bill?” Hillary politely asked. “You’re welcome to come with us if you’d like.”  
“Um, no that’s okay,” Bill excused himself, not being able to bare seeing Hillary and Scott together for one more minute. “Alexis is waiting for me at the hotel. But I’ll take the girls out for lunch tomorrow before we head back to Chappaqua."   
Hillary nodded. “Oh, alright.”  
They took a few family photos together with Jessica in her cap and gown posing with her diploma before Bill had to leave. Begrudgingly, Scott offered to take a few of Jessica with Hillary and Bill. And finally, it was time for Bill to leave.   
“Bye, dad,” Chelsea sighed, hugging Bill goodbye.  
Bill sighed, “Bye, princess.”  
“Thank you _so_ much for coming, Bill,” Jessica appreciatively said to her former stepfather. She hated to admit it but she _had_ missed him.  
“It was no trouble,” Bill assured her, giving her a tight hug. “Congratulations again, honey. And good luck with the rest of the pregnancy. I hope everything goes smoothly.”  
Jessica nodded. “Thanks. Me, too.” She rubbed her belly.  
“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Scott whispered to Hillary while Bill was still saying his goodbyes to the kids.  
Hillary shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Oh, God. I can’t believe Jessica. She was just kidding around, sweetheart. I’m not pregnant.” She sheepishly smiled at Scott.  
Scott frowned. “Damn it! I was hoping you were.”  
Hillary frowned and sighed. “I think I’m starting menopause. We’ve talked about that before, sweetheart.”  
Scott sadly sighed. “I want a baby.”  
“Well, maybe we can adopt one day,” Hillary shrugged.  
Scott sighed again. “Fine.”  
Hillary sighed and reached for his hand. Scott grabbed her hand in his and gently squeezed it as the girls finished saying their goodbyes to Bill and made their way back over to Hillary and Scott.  
  


* * * * * 

“Wow, this place is nice,” Chelsea remarked when they arrived at the restaurant and they were taken to their table.  
“It is,” Hillary agreed, nodding as she sat down with Hayley in her arms and got Hayley settled on her lap while they waited for the hostess to bring over a high chair.  
“This is the place where you and Scott ran into each other a few months ago?” Chelsea asked.  
“It is indeed,” Scott smiled over at Hillary and squeezed her thigh under the table.  
“Can I get you all started with some drinks and appetizers?” The waiter asked, coming over to their table.  
“Do you want wine, Hill?” Scott asked.  
“No!” Hillary said a little more forcefully than she intended to. “No, I mean, no wine for me tonight. I’m going to stick with water.”  
Scott shrugged and ordered a glass of Argentinian Malbec for himself.  
“Since when do you turn down wine, mom?” Chelsea asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion.  
“I just don’t feel like drinking tonight,” Hillary shrugged.  
Chelsea shrugged, still confused why her mom wasn’t celebrating Jessica’s graduation with a glass of wine but she moved on and ordered a soda for herself.  
"So, who wants pizza?" Scott asked, skimming the menu.   
"Pizza!" Hayley excitedly squealed, happily kicking her legs.   
Hillary smiled down at her and squeezed her.   
“Ugh, I want this kid out of me,” Jessica whined, rubbing her large belly. “My back is _killing_ me. And she’s been playing soccer with my bladder all day long.”  
Hillary chuckled. “It won’t be much longer now, sweetheart.”  
Jessica nodded. “Thank God. I can’t wait for her to _finally_ be here.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary agreed.  
“I’ve almost got her room finished,” Jessica remarked.  
“That’s good,” Chelsea said.  
Jessica nodded in agreement.  
Hillary was about to say something when she suddenly felt another wave of nausea overcome her. She quickly passed Hayley over to Chelsea and ran to the bathroom.  
“I’ll go check on her,” Jessica politely excused herself. "Be right back."   
Hillary was wiping her mouth with a paper towel and splashing cold water on her face at the sink when Jessica found her.  
“My breasts are so tender,” Hillary complained, frowning. “I’ve felt horrible for days now.”  
“Yeah, because you’re pregnant, mom!” Jessica chuckled.  
“It’s just menopause, Jessica,” Hillary sighed. “And I think I have the flu. Or maybe it's food poisoning. Seafood for dinner last night probably wasn’t the best idea.”  
“Come on. Let’s run to the drug store and buy a pregnancy test,” Jessica offered.  
“No. After dinner. This is your special night,” Hillary insisted as she washed her hands.  
Jessica sighed. “Fine. But after dinner you’re taking a pregnancy test. No if’s, and’s or but's.”  
  


* * * * * 

After having a nice family dinner filled with lively conversation and lots of laughter and reminiscing, and after Jessica's boyfriend Sam had headed home to his apartment, Hillary and Jessica hung back as Scott got Hayley and Chelsea loaded into his car.  
“Are you ladies coming?” Scott asked Hillary and Jessica.  
“You guys go ahead without us. We’ll meet you at home in a little while,” Hillary said. "We have an errand to run."   
“Oh?” Scott frowned. “What’s up? What are you girls up to?”  
“Oh...well, Jess wants cupcakes,” Hillary made up on the spot. “We’re going to find a bakery that’s still open. I think our graduate here deserves a treat.”  
Jessica smiled and nodded, going along with the ruse. “Yeah, pregnancy craving.” She just shrugged, playing along.  
Scott shrugged. “Oh, okay. You girls will be okay to get home on your own?”  
Jessica nodded. “Of course. We’ll get a cab. Don’t worry about us.”  
“Suit yourselves,” Scott shrugged. He quickly gave Hillary a goodbye peck on the lips before he got in his car and drove away.  
“That was close,” Hillary remarked as they started walking to the nearest drugstore.  
“Tell me about it,” Jessica agreed.  
They found a drugstore a few doors down from the restaurant and went inside.  
“Do you want to take it here or back at the apartment?” Jessica asked as they found the pregnancy test section.   
“I’ll take it at Scott’s place I guess,” Hillary shrugged, grabbing a test at random off the shelf.  
  


* * * * * *

When they got back to Scott’s apartment, Chelsea was reading to Hayley in the living room and Scott was watching TV.  
Jessica and Hillary left the cupcakes they had purchased to keep up the ruse in the kitchen.  
“Hey, Jess. How about I show you that new dress I was telling you about?” Hillary came up with on the spot, needing a reason for Jessica to follow her upstairs even though she knew Chelsea, Hayley and Scott weren’t paying attention anyways.  
“Sure, mom. Let’s go,” Jessica replied, playing along. Before they knew it, they were upstairs in Scott’s bedroom. Jessica waited for her mother in the bedroom while Hillary disappeared into the luxurious adjoining bathroom.  
“So?” Jessica asked with a slight smile when Hillary emerged out of the bathroom a few minutes later.  
Hillary sighed. “It was...positive.”  
“Hah!” Jessica smirked. “I told you so!”  
“I’ve had false positives before,” Hillary sighed again, not wanting to get her hopes up.  
Jessica scoffed. “Whatever you say, mom. You are _so_ pregnant though.”  
“Well I’m going to my gynecologist this week to confirm it anyways,” Hillary shrugged.  
Jessica nodded. “Of course. But you _are_ pregnant.”  
Hillary sighed again. “I need to talk to Scott.”  
Jessica nodded in agreement. “Want me to go get him?”  
Hillary nodded. “Yes, please. Thank you.”  
  


* * * * * *

“Hey, sweetie,” Scott said, coming into the bedroom a few minutes later. He sat down on the edge of the bed, next to where Hillary was sitting. “Jessica said you needed to talk to me.”  
Hillary nodded and weakly smiled. “We should talk.”  
“Of course. Anything,” Scott nodded and smiled encouragingly at his girlfriend.  
“It turns I _am_ pregnant,” Hillary just came right out and said it. “ _Maybe._ I just took a test and it was positive.”  
Scott grinned broadly. “Seriously?”  
“I still have to go to my doctor to confirm it,” Hillary reminded him.  
Scott nodded. “Right.” He sucked in a breath. “Wow.”  
“Are you okay with this if I am pregnant?” Hillary nervously asked. “I know we’ve only been dating for three months.”  
“Of course I’m happy with this, baby,” Scott reassured Hillary with a soft smile. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Having a baby with you is like a dream come true.”  
Hillary nodded and managed to weakly smile.  
“Maybe I should move to Chappaqua,” Scott said, thinking out loud.  
“You shouldn’t, Scott,” Hillary shook her head. “Stay in Manhattan.”  
“Hillary, we’re going to start a family together. I have to be there for you and our child,” Scott insisted.  
“But your job is here,” Hillary sighed harshly. “I’m sorry. We should have used condoms or I should have been on the pill still. I thought I was infertile. I’m too old for this.”  
“No, no. I want this. I always wanted to have a family,” Scott said quietly.  
“Well, you don’t have to move,” Hillary told him.  
“I’m not leaving you or our baby, Hillary,” Scott repeated, squeezing her hand again.  
Hillary shook her head. “You can commute back and forth like you’re doing now.”  
“Nope, I’m moving,” Scott decided on the spot. “I want to be there for my child. And for you.”  
Hillary shakily sighed again, in complete disbelief that she was pregnant at the age of forty-seven. _If_ she was pregnant and it wasn’t a false positive. “I’m sorry about all of this, Scott. I know this is all happening really quickly.”  
“Hey, stop apologizing,” Scott gently smiled at her. He leaned down and pecked Hillary’s forehead. “I’m really happy about hopefully having a baby with you.What about you? Are you okay with all of this?”  
“I’m terrified, truth be told,” Hillary nervously admitted to her boyfriend. “I’m almost fifty. Can you believe this? And I’m about to be a grandmother in two months.” She nervously chuckled.  
“Well, everything’s going to be okay,” Scott tried reassuring Hillary. “I know it.”  
He wrapped his arms around Hillary and tightly hugged her.  
Hillary nervously nodded as she nuzzled her head into Scott’s shoulder. All she could do was take Scott’s word for it and have faith that she _was_ actually pregnant and that she would have a healthy pregnancy despite her age.  
  


* * * * *

A few hours later after Chelsea and Jessica had gone back to Jessica’s apartment for a sister's sleepover and Hillary had put Hayley down for the night, Hillary entered the bedroom where Scott was in bed reading that month’s issue of _Architectural Digest._  
“She asleep?” Scott asked, taking off his reading glasses to look up at Hillary.  
“She’s out like a light,” Hillary nodded. She went over to the nightstand on her side of the bed and grabbed the tube of hand cream that was on it. She generously squirted some into the palm of her hand.  
“What should we name the baby if its a girl?” Scott thought out loud.  
All Hillary could do was sigh as she rubbed the hand cream into her hands. “Aren’t we getting a bit ahead of ourselves?”  
Scott sighed harshly. “You aren’t happy about this,” he accused.  
“No. I’d just rather confirm things with a doctor first,” Hillary shrugged, changing into her black lacy nightgown. “I might not even be pregnant.”  
“Well, I think you are,” Scott said. “You’ve been throwing up all day.”  
Hillary just shrugged. “We’ll see.”  
“Hill, why aren’t you happy about this?” Scott asked, frowning. He looked at Hillary with concern in his eyes.  
“I’m just worried,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip. She got into bed with Scott. “I’m forty-seven years old. I already have Hayley and I’m about to be a grandmother in a few weeks. I’m just over the whole baby thing. After I adopted Hayley, I had just given up on the idea of having another biological child. So...this is strange, truth be told. I just have to get used to the idea. So it’s not that I’m not happy,” Hillary explained. “I’m just nervous.”  
Scott nodded and stared softly at his girlfriend. “Well, I’m going to be right there with you every step of the way.” He squeezed Hillary’s hand.  
She weakly smiled. “Thanks.”  
“But keep in mind, I know nothing about pregnancy,” Scott chuckled. “So I guess I’ll have to do my research.”  
Hillary quietly laughed and nodded.  
Scott leaned over and pecked Hillary’s lips. “I love you _so_ much, Hillary. I can’t wait to meet our baby.” He reached over and tentatively touched Hillary’s stomach.  
“The name Madeline’s pretty for a girl,” Hillary admitted quietly.  
Scott nodded in agreement. “That is pretty.”  
“How about you?” Hillary asked now that they were on the subject. “What would you want to name him? Or her?”  
“I’ve always liked the name Natalie,” Scott mused. “Or Natalia.”  
“Yeah, those are nice names,” Hillary nodded.  
“What about for a boy?” Scott asked curiously.  
Hillary shrugged, still not wanting to get her hopes up. “Do you have any you like, honey?”  
“Not yet,” Scott admitted.  
“Well, we still have plenty of time to think about it,” Hillary said. “ _If_ I am pregnant.”  
Scott nodded. “Of course. We need to discuss marriage too.”  
Hillary nodded.  
“Do you want to get married?” Scott outright asked.  
“I...think so,” Hillary admitted, softly smiling at Scott.  
Scott grinned and nodded. “Good.”  
Hillary smiled and nodded in return. “Yeah.” She tentatively placed her hand over Scott’s, which was still resting on her stomach.  
Scott smiled to himself as they gently locked their fingers together and loosely held hands with each other.  
“I think I want a girl,” Scott mused out loud. “Even though you already have plenty of those,” he chuckled.  
Hillary laughed, “No, another girl would be wonderful. A boy would be nice though.”  
“We’ll have to see,” Scott said.  
“Well I have a record for girls apparently,” Hillary chuckled. “So it’ll probably be a girl.”  
Scott nodded. “I hope so.” He leaned down and pecked Hillary’s forehead.  
Hillary sadly sighed. “Back to Chappaqua tomorrow.”  
“I’ll miss you so much.” Scott harshly sighed. “I hate our current situation. I should just move.”  
“Actually…” Hillary had been waiting all day to tell Scott this news. “Jessica got off the waitlist for Yale. She wants to do her Master’s there in September. And Chelsea will be in California. So...I was thinking of selling the house in Chappaqua and finding a nice place in Connecticut. To be closer to Jess and to be able to help out with the baby. I think the girls would be okay with that. I just have to talk to Bill about it. And...You could move in with me.”  
“I like that idea,” Scott smiled. “And I could take the train into the city for work.”  
“Exactly,” Hillary said. She softly stared at him. “So that would be okay with you?”  
Scott nodded. “Are you kidding? I love that idea. We just have to find a house.”  
“We can start looking soon,” Hillary nodded, smiling to herself.  
Scott nodded.  
“And I would have to find a new job,” Hillary thought out loud.  
“No, Hillary.”  
Hillary scoffed. “Why not?”  
“You don’t need to work, Hill,” Scott said. “I make more than enough money to support us.”  
“Well, I like working,” Hillary argued.  
“No, stay home with the babies,” Scott urged.  
“But I don’t want to be a Stay At Home Mom,” Hillary argued, raising an eyebrow at Scott. “Please, just let me work.”  
Scott scoffed. “Honey, I’m a millionaire. You don’t need to work anymore, babe.”  
“But I like working!” Hillary argued, getting annoyed.  
Scott sighed. “Fine. If you insist.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said. She frowned to herself. “I do actually _enjoy_ my work you know. Even if we don’t need the money.”  
“I know,” Scott acquiesced.  
“Thank you,” Hillary said again before she leaned over and pecked his cheek. She suddenly yawned.  
Scott chuckled. “It’s been a long day. We should get some sleep.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement and crawled under the covers.  
Scott leaned over and gave Hillary a brief but passionate goodnight kiss. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”  
“Night,” Hillary said, laying down on her side.  
“I love you,” Scott cuddled up against Hillary and wrapped his arms around her.  
“Love you, too,” Hillary flatly said.  
She tried to sleep but she had too many thoughts running through her mind. Not just about the pregnancy and the new baby, but she suddenly realized maybe Scott wasn’t as supportive of her and her dreams as she once thought. That’s the last thought she had before she finally drifted off to sleep…

  
* * * * *

“Good morning, my sweet baby,” Hillary grinned as Hayley started waking up.  
“Mama,” Hayley sweetly cooed, as Hillary scooped her up from her crib that was set up in Scott’s guest room.  
“Good morning, beautiful girl,” Hillary smiled and pressed a gentle kiss into the top of Hayley’s head. “Come on, let’s go wake up Scott.”  
Hayley happily babbled and cooed as Hillary took her across the hallway to the master bedroom.  
“Hi, Hayley,” Scott sleepily smiled, upon hearing the two of them come into the bedroom.  
“Mama, Jessie?” Hayley asked, giving Hillary a confused look.  
Hillary chuckled at how adorable she looked. “Jessie’s at her own apartment, baby.”  
“Chewsie?” Hayley asked, cocking her head to the side.  
“Chelsea’s with Jessie, baby,” Hillary explained as she crawled back into bed with Hayley. "We'll see your sisters later today."   
Hayley just nodded and crawled on top of Scott.  
Scott chuckled at her and looked over at Hillary. “What time are you leaving?”  
“We're going to take the six o’clock train tonight,” Hillary answered.  
Scott nodded and sighed. “I’ll miss this. I hate that things have to be this way.”  
Hillary sadly sighed. “Yeah. I know.”  
“We’ll both need to start looking for houses in Connecticut,” Scott said.  
Hillary nodded. “I’ll talk to the kids and Bill, too.”  
“Thanks,” Scott said, nodding. “Want some breakfast?”  
Hillary nodded. “How about waffles?”  
“Coming right up,” Scott smiled at her. He pecked Hillary’s forehead before getting out of bed.  
Hillary nodded and started following suit. Just as she had scooped up Hayley, she felt a wave of nausea. She quickly put Hayley down on the bed and ran into the bathroom. Scott frowned. He grabbed Hayley and followed Hillary into the bathroom where she was throwing up. Scott tried his best to hold back Hillary’s hair with one hand while cradling Hayley with the other.  
“You okay?” Scott checked when she was finished.  
Hillary nodded. “I’m fine.” She got up and started splashing some cold water on her face.  
“Is it always that bad?” Scott nervously asked.  
Hillary chuckled and nodded. “Yep. Pretty much.”  
Scott frowned. “I’m sorry.”  
Hillary shrugged and reached out for Hayley. “It’s fine. Come on. Let’s go make breakfast.”  
Scott nodded, passed Hayley back to Hillary. He followed the two of them downstairs to the kitchen.  
“Scott!” Hayley happily squealed as Hillary placed her in her high chair.  
Scott smiled over at her as he grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator.  
“Daddy,” Hayley cooed.  
Hillary raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “No, sweetie. That’s not your daddy.”  
“No, daddy!” Hillary squealed.  
Hillary frowned. “Scott isn’t your dad, sweetheart. You know your daddy. You'll see him in a few hours for lunch, baby girl."   
“Aww, she’s just confused, Hill,” Scott shrugged, as he started putting the waffle batter together. “I think it's cute.”  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Hillary bit her lip and frowned.   
“I’m gonna miss you guys after tonight,” Scott sighed.  
Hillary nodded. “I’ll miss you, too.”  
“Are you sure you want to find a new job in Connecticut?” Scott asked her.  
Hillary nodded and let out a frustrated breath. “I’m sure.”  
“Well, maybe you can get a job at my firm,” Scott suggested. “We always have openings.”  
Hillary shrugged. “We’ll see. I don’t think so though. Maybe I’ll finally look at getting into Family Law or child advocacy.”  
Scott shrugged. “Do whatever you want, I guess.”  
Hillary nodded. “I’ll have to ask around after we find a house.”  
“Alright,” Scott nodded.  
Hillary’s cell phone ringing suddenly interrupted their conversation.  
“Hello?” She quickly answered.  
“Mom!” Jessica sobbed out on the other end.  
“What is it? What’s going on?” Hillary nervously asked, worried something had happened to the baby.  
“Sam and I broke up!” Jessica cried.  
“What?” Hillary asked, feeling confused. “Why? What happened?”  
“I don’t know!” Jessica said frantically. “All of a sudden he said he didn’t want to deal with a baby! Come over! Please!”  
Hillary sighed. “I’ll be right over.”  
She hung up and looked at Scott. “Ugh, Sam broke up with Jess. Is it okay if I take your car and head over to her place?” She grabbed his car keys from where he had left them on the dining room table the night before.  
Scott nodded. “Sure.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said. “I’ll be back soon. Watch Hayley for me.”

  
* * * * * *

Jessica was sobbing when Hillary had gone up to her apartment and Jessica had flung the door open seconds after Hillary had knocked.  
“What happened, sweetie?” Hillary asked, frowning as she lead Jessica over to the couch.  
“He just left!” Jessica sobbed out as she sat down on the couch. “He bought the wrong kind of milk for me this morning and I snapped at him. And then all of a sudden he admitted he couldn’t handle the whole baby thing after all and he stormed out.”  
Hillary sighed and sat down beside Jessica on the couch. She wrapped her arm around Jessica. “Honey, it’s going to be okay.”  
“I don’t want to be alone!” Jessica sniffed. “I know he wasn’t the baby’s father but I can’t raise a baby by myself.”  
“Let him cool off. He’ll come back,” Hillary soothingly rubbed Jessica’s back.  
“I don’t want him back after this!” Jessica snapped.  
“What’s going on?” Chelsea sleepily stumbled out of Jessica’s bedroom, still in her pajamas.  
“Sam and I broke up,” Jessica sniffed, as she brushed her tears away.  
“Aww,” Chelsea frowned and sat down beside Jessica on the other side of her. “I liked him. He seemed like a nice guy.”  
“I liked him, too!” Jessica started sobbing again.  
“Shh,” Hillary kept rubbing Jessica’s back.  
“Do you seriously have to leave tonight?” Jessica asked Hillary.  
Hillary nodded. “I do, I’m afraid. I have to work. I’m so sorry, baby.”  
Jessica sadly sighed.  
“But hey, I’ll be back in two weeks,” Hillary pointed out. “I can stay for a whole week then.”  
“Thank God,” Jessica said. “I can’t wait.”  
“And if you decide on Yale for grad school, Scott and I might move to Connecticut,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.  
“What? Seriously?” Jessica suddenly brightened up. “I’d like that a lot.”  
Hillary smiled to herself and nodded. “Yeah, me, too.”  
“Wait you’re moving in with Scott?” Chelsea asked her mom, frowning in confusion.  
“Well, you’ll be going to California in September so why not?” Hillary shrugged.  
“It’s just a little fast, mom. You’ve only been dating him three months but I guess if you’re happy then I’ll support you whatever you do,” Chelsea shrugged.  
Hillary just nodded, knowing that Chelsea would understand when she learned about the baby in a few more weeks when Hillary was farther along.  
“It would be so awesome if you did,” Jessica said. “Even though you’re only a train ride away, I still miss you so much all the time.” She leaned over and hugged her mother. “And this way you can help me with the baby!”  
“Exactly,” Hillary smiled.  
“So are you and Scott getting married?” Jessica asked, thinking out loud, forgetting that Chelsea didn’t know about Hillary’s pregnancy yet.  
“ _Married!?_ ” Chelsea exclaimed.  
“We don’t know yet,” Hillary put her arm up to calm Chelsea down. “Maybe. It’s still...early in our relationship.”  
“It sure is,” Chelsea raised her eyebrows.  
“Well, I want to be in the wedding,” Jessica nonchalantly said.  
“Of course you would be in the wedding,” Hillary chuckled. _If_ there is a wedding...one day,” she hastened to add, to not get Chelsea worked up. “Now, did you girls eat breakfast yet?” She was anxious to change the subject off of marriage and relationships.  
Chelsea and Jessica shook their heads.  
“Well, get dressed and come back to Scott’s place with me,” Hillary said. “Him and Hayley are making waffles.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I was kind of scared to post this update but had some wine tonight for liquid courage LOL. Some of you might have guessed where this was/is headed based off of the tags for this story, since Jessica is not the only female of childbearing age in this story. And I will re-iterate this was by no means, a planned pregnancy on Hillary's end. 
> 
> I don't want to spoil things because I want this story to have lots of surprises but I will say if you're Team Billary (which is probably all of you lol)...don't give up hope just yet. 
> 
> And for those of you who mentioned that Jessica seems like Hillary's favorite and Chelsea and Hayley seem like afterthoughts. I do actually have a chapter planned where Jessica confronts Hillary about this but I don't think it will be written or be posted any time soon. But that moment is coming, I promise. I know the last few chapters were super Jessica and Hillary focused since Chelsea and Hayley were with Bill for his allotted time with them, plus Chelsea couldn't miss school because she was still technically in high school in those chapters. I don't think Hillary would be a cool enough mom to let her skip school to come on the trip to New York City since it wasn't an emergency lol. But there will be plenty of Hillary and Chelsea and Hillary and Hayley, or moments of Hillary with all her children to come.  
> I know the last few chapters were _very_ Jessica and Hillary focused (and actually the next two or three are as well but it'll be for obvious reasons once you read them), and Jessica and Hillary do have a special, different bond than she has with her other children, but I will try to balance things out more evenly the rest of the story. 
> 
> Thank you for all your comments and feedback on this story. I really do TRULY appreciate it and am trying to take your feedback into account. Hope you all have a nice weekend and are staying safe and doing well right now!


	8. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I was binge rewatching a lot of Grey's Anatomy and ER the past few months (and more so the latter the last couple of weeks lol) so things get a little intense at the end of this chapter. Just a heads up if you need it because I know medical drama isn't everyone's cup of tea.

**2 MONTHS LATER**

Upon getting confirmation that Hillary was indeed pregnant, Hillary and Scott had swiftly gotten engaged and had lucked out in finding a new house that had just been put on the market in New Haven, Connecticut to move into together. Jessica was staying with them while she was still looking for her own place to live in New Haven after deciding on Yale for graduate school. But it was all working out wonderfully because the new house had plenty of room and then Hillary could be around to help Jessica with the baby for the first few weeks. Plus, Scott was in Los Angeles on a work trip and Chelsea and Hayley were with Bill in Chappaqua for the weekend so Hillary didn’t mind having Jessica around for company.  
“I cannot get over how _insane_ this house is, mom,” Jessica commented, while she and Hillary were spending their Saturday afternoon putting some finishing touches on the baby’s nursery. Even after Jessica found a place of her own, Hillary and Scott still wanted Jessica and the baby to have rooms of their own at Hillary’s house that they could always stay over at, any time, no questions asked. The house had more than enough rooms and space for everybody.   
Jessica hadn’t been exaggerating about the size of the house. With ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms, it was more of a manor or an estate than just a house. Jessica stared out the window down at the sprawling backyard and gardens below, complete with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, and tennis court. Scott had wanted to go all out and Hillary couldn’t argue that it _was_ a beautiful house and would be a wonderful home to raise their family in.   
They had been ecstatic when their offer on the house had been accepted. The last two months had been a blur of doctor’s appointments, paperwork, quitting her job in Chappaqua, looking for and finding a new job in Connecticut, and preparing for the impending arrival of her new grandchild. Jessica’s baby was due any day now.  
“This house is perfect,” Jessica repeated, as she put a pile of carefully folded onesies into a dresser drawer. The house seemed a little extravagant for her mother’s tastes, and she was sure that Scott had played a large role in convincing Hillary to buy it with him but her mother seemed happy enough with Scott in the new house which was all that mattered to Jessica. “I’m so glad you moved and that you’ll be close to me.”  
“Well I’m glad you’re staying with me for the next few weeks,” Hillary said while organizing the drawers of the baby’s changing table. “This house is so empty and lonely without Scott and your sisters around.”  
Jessica nodded and chuckled. “I bet.”   
“Bill’s not happy I moved here though,” Hillary sighed.  
Jessica shrugged. “Well, he doesn’t have a say anymore, does he? It was _his_ choice to go back to Arkansas and be with Alexis.”  
“I still feel bad for some reason,” Hillary frowned and sighed again. “Yes, Chelsea is going to Stanford soon but Hayley is still his daughter. Now he’ll only see her a few times a year.”  
Jessica shrugged again. “Like I said it was his choice. He made his and you made yours.” Jessica suddenly winced.  
“Are you okay?” Hillary asked nervously.  
Jessica nodded. “I’m fine. It must be a Braxton Hicks contraction.” She took a deep breath until the sharp pain passed.  
Hillary nodded, understandingly.  
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pee for the millionth time,” Jessica said, laughing.  
Hillary chuckled and nodded.  
Jessica waddled out of the nursery and down the hallway to the main upstairs bathroom.  
Hillary had busied herself by returning to organizing the diapers and diaper changing supplies in the meantime when she suddenly heard a loud gasp.  
“Mom? Mama?” She heard Jessica call out.  
“What is it?” Hillary nervously called back.  
“Oh, shit!” She heard Jessica moan in pain.  
“Honey?” Hillary quickly ran out of the nursery and down the hallway, towards where Jessica was standing, looking both terrified and bewildered.  
“My water...just broke,” Jessica said. With eyes as wide as saucers, she stared down at the puddle on the floor below her. “Oh my God!” She moaned and clutched her stomach as another contraction hit.  
“I guess those weren’t Braxton Hicks contractions after all,” Hillary realized. “How long had you been having them for?”  
“All day,” Jessica admitted, biting her lip. “They _were_ stronger than normal but I thought they were Braxton Hicks!” She moaned.  
“Okay, come on. Let’s go to the hospital,” Hillary nodded, and calmly grabbed Jessica’s hand, leading her downstairs. Luckily, they were more prepared than Hillary had been either of the two times she had gone into labor and Jessica’s hospital bag was already packed and waiting at the front door. Hillary grabbed Jessica’s bag with one hand and held Jessica’s hand with the other. She carefully led Jessica to the car and helped her into the passenger seat.  
“Oh, fuck!” Jessica groaned as a sharp contraction hit her. “This hurts so bad! I can’t do this, mom!” Jessica loudly moaned after Hillary had put Jessica’s bag in the trunk of Hillary’s brand new black Range Rover and gotten into the driver’s seat.  
“Shh, you can do this, Jess,” Hillary assured her, trying her best to keep Jessica as calm as possible.  
“But it hurts!” Jessica whined.  
“Shh, I know,” Hillary soothed. “Call your doctor, let her know that your water broke and that we’re on our way to the hospital.”  
Jessica’s contractions only intensified in pain and frequency as Hillary drove to the hospital as quickly as speed limits and traffic lights would allow.  
  


“Where’s my doctor?” Jessica moaned in pain as Hillary led her inside when they had arrived at the maternity ward.  
“She’s in labor,” Hillary explained to the nurse at the front desk.  
“I noticed,” The nurse said with a chuckle as she came out from behind the desk and got a wheelchair for Jessica. “We’ll get her set up in a room and page the OB resident on call to check on her progress.”  
Hillary nodded as Jessica carefully sat down in the wheelchair. “Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said before they eventually got Jessica to a room and got her settled.  
“So this is it, sweetie,” Hillary softly smiled at Jessica as Jessica got changed into a hospital gown.  
Jessica grinned and nodded as she got into bed.  
“I should call Chelsea,” Hillary realized.   
Jessica nodded as one nurse hooked her up to a fetal monitor and the other was starting her IV.  
“I need my fucking epidural,” Jessica moaned as another strong contraction hit.  
“Language!” Hillary scolded.  
“Ugh, I _neeeeeed_ drugs,” Jessica growled, ignoring her mother's admonishment.   
Hillary sighed. “You’re probably not dilated enough yet, honey. Just breathe through the contractions.” She came over to the side of the bed and grabbed Jessica’s hand.  
“I want this kid out of me,” Jessica cried out in frustration.  
“You’re going to be okay, honey,” Hillary reassured her daughter, squeezing her hand. She reached for her purse and found her phone. She dialed the number to Bill’s apartment and just hoped Bill wouldn’t be the one to answer.  
“Mom! Hey!” Chelsea answered excitedly after a couple of rings.  
“Hey, sweetie!” Hillary smiled to herself. “Guess what?”  
“Oh my God!” Chelsea gasped. “Is Jessica in labor?”  
“Uh-huh,” Hillary answered, still smiling even though she knew Chelsea couldn’t see her. “We just got to the hospital a little while ago.”  
“Well, call me as soon as she’s born!” Chelsea excitedly said.  
“I will,” Hillary assured her. “Of course I will. I’ll call you with an update in a couple of hours.”  
“Thanks,” Chelsea gratefully said. “Keep me posted.”  
“I will, sweetie,” Hillary said. “Talk to you later.” She said before her and Chelsea said their goodbyes and she hung up.  
“Can I tell Scott?” Hillary asked Jessica.  
Jessica shrugged,grabbing her own phone from the nightstand. “Sure.”  
Hillary nodded and dialed his cell.  
“Hey, baby,” Scott’s smooth voice came over the other end a few moments later.  
“Hi!” Hillary smiled. “How are you?”  
“I’m great,” Scott answered. “How about you?”  
“I’m fine,” Hillary responded.  
“So, no more morning sickness then?” Scott checked.  
“Nope,” Hillary answered.  
“How’s the baby?” Scott asked, referring to the baby Hillary was pregnant with.  
“He or she is fine, I think,” Hillary chuckled to herself. “We just miss you. I can’t wait for you to come home.”  
“Tomorrow night, baby,” Scott sighed.  
Hillary sighed in return. “I know. Anyways...the reason I’m calling is because Jessica’s gone into labor.”  
“Seriously?” Scott sounded surprised even though he knew it was only a few days before her due date.  
“Yep,” Hillary replied. “We just got to the hospital.”  
“Oh, wow,” Scott said. “Well, call me with an update later.”  
“I will,” Hillary assured him.  
“Love you,” Scott replied.  
“Love you, too,” Hillary replied before she hung up just as Jessica’s doctor walked into the room.  
“Hi Doctor Turner!” Jessica gratefully said to the fortysomething red-headed OB-GYN who she had been lucky enough to find in Connecticut at the last minute.  
“Hi, Jessica,” Dr. Turner smiled at her before she checked Jessica’s progress. “You’re four centimeters dilated so far.”  
“That’s it?” Jessica groaned. She felt like she should be farther along by now. “When can I get an epidural?”  
“I’d like you to be _a little_ more dilated before we proceed with an epidural in case the epidural slows things down. So maybe when you’re five centimeters.”  
“I can’t wait that long,” Jessica moaned in pain as another strong contraction hit her.   
The doctor just chuckled in sympathy. “I’ll be back to check on you again in an hour or so.”  
Jessica managed to nod. “This hurts!” She moaned, tightly squeezing Hillary’s hand.  
“It’s okay. Just breathe, sweetheart,” Hillary soothed, kissing the top of Jessica’s head.  
“Ugh, I’ve gotta get back in shape fast,” Jessica said, trying to talk about something else to distract herself from the pain. “The wedding’s in three weeks.”  
“Oh, you’ll look fine,” Hillary encouraged her. “I’m the one whose going to be too big to fit into my dress,” Hillary chuckled.  
“Your dress is gorgeous,” Jessica said.  
Hillary nodded. “It was expensive, too.” The wedding her and Scott were planning was definitely going to be a more extravagant affair than her and Bill’s wedding had been. Mostly because Scott wanted a big wedding for some reason. While Hillary felt a little ridiculous planning a splashy wedding at their ages and with it being a second marriage for the both of them, she had to admit, she was getting into the spirit of wedding planning and was excited for the big day. However, the irony that she was pregnant out of wedlock both times she got married was not lost on her.  
“Of course your dress was expensive,” Jessica smirked. “You’re marrying a millionaire entertainment lawyer. George Clooney is one of your wedding guests.”  
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Hillary said. “I’m nervous enough.” She was still getting used to Scott’s wealth and celebrity connections and networks.  
Jessica chuckled. “So have you guys thought of any baby names?”  
“We like Natalie if it's a girl,” Hillary said. “ _I_ think its another girl. But we like Alexander for a boy.”  
“Aww, I love those names,” Jessica smiled.  
“Me, too,” Hillary smiled to herself and touched her stomach.  
“You know you don’t have to get married just because you’re pregnant, mom,” Jessica pointed out.  
Hillary shrugged. “I know.”  
“Do you actually want to get married to Scott though?” Jessica asked. “Do you really love him?”  
“Of course, Jessica,” Hillary replied, looking taken aback at Jessica’s questions.  
Jessica didn’t have a chance to say something else on that subject when another intense contraction hit and she groaned in pain. “Ugh, I’m exhausted.”  
“Try to take a nap,” Hillary urged.  
Jessica nodded while wincing in pain. “It hurts, mama!”  
“I know, Jessica,” Hillary chuckled, even though she hated seeing her daughter having to be in such pain. “I’ve been through it twice.”  
“I’m scared,” Jessica admitted, biting her lip.  
Hillary frowned and squeezed Jessica’s hand. “I know but its okay. You’re staying with us for at least the next month. I’ll help you with the baby.”  
Jessica nodded as another contraction hit. “Mom! Ouch!”  
“There’s nothing I can do, baby,” Hillary sighed, wishing she could take the pain away from Jessica. “It’s payback for the sixteen hours I was in labor with you.” Hillary smirked.  
“ _Sixteen_!?” Jessica said, alarmed. “That wasn’t my fault!” Jessica joked and started laughing and wincing in pain at the same time. “How much longer? Where’s the doctor, mom?”  
“Sweetie, you aren’t _that_ far along,” Hillary hated to point out.  
But just then, right on cue, a dark-haired nurse who was wearing light pink scrubs and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail who couldn’t have been that much older than Jessica, walked into the room to check on her.  
“ _Please_ tell me I can get an epidural now,” Jessica begged to the young nurse.  
“Not yet,” the nurse, whose ID badge (which was clipped to the front pocket of her scrub top) showed that her name was Abigail, shook her head.  
“Oh my God! Why not?” Jessica exclaimed in frustration.  
“You’re still only four centimeters,” Abigail explained. “I can ask the doctor if we can start you on pitocin to speed things up?”  
“Ugh, fine. Sure. Whatever you need to do to get this kid out of me,” Jessica replied.  
Abigail chuckled and nodded, used to the behavior of laboring mothers. “I’ll be right back.”  
Jessica nodded and groaned. “It hurts, mom.”  
Hillary frowned and sighed. “I know, sweetie.” She rubbed circles with her thumb over top of Jessica’s hand.  
“I don’t think I can do this,” Jessica said, looking genuinely terrified.  
“Yes, you can,” Hillary encouraged.  
“How much longer until I can start pushing do you think?” Jessica asked Abigail when she came back a few minutes later to start the pitocin drip.  
“It’s going to be a while, sweetheart,” Hillary piped in.  
“Yeah, at least a couple of hours probably,” Abigail added. “But hopefully this speeds things up some.”  
“I can’t do this,” Jessica groaned. “I want my epidural!”  
“You can wait a little while longer, baby,” Hillary soothed. “Just a little while.”  
Jessica whimpered in pain and shook her head.  
“You can do this, honey,” Hillary firmly said.  
“I can’t! Jessica moaned. “It hurts!” She writhed in pain and tried to find a comfortable position to lay in.  
Hillary sighed. “Well, I’m going to try to take a nap. You should take one, too. It’ll help. I promise.”  
Jessica groaned in response to that proposition.  
“You need to rest, sweetie,” Hillary encouraged.  
Jessica nodded, knowing her mother was right.  
“I’m so exhausted,” Hillary said, closing her eyes. Now that she was in the beginning of her second trimester she thought she would be leaving the exhaustion of the first trimester behind her (the second trimester had always been her favorite months of pregnancy with her previous pregnancies) but that didn’t seem to be the case this time around. Being pregnant at forty-seven was definitely much harder than being pregnant in her twenties had been.  
After her last contraction subsided and wound down, Jessica also closed her eyes and managed to drift off to sleep.

  
* * * * *

Hillary woke up an hour later to the sound of voices in the room. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a man hugging Jessica. A moment later she realized why the man looked familiar. It was Bill.  
“Oh, hey. You’re awake,” Jessica said, noticing her mother staring at them. “I texted him earlier. I hope that’s okay,” Jessica bit her lip as Bill pulled away from Jessica.  
“Hi, Hillary,” Bill quietly said.  
Hillary shrugged as she stretched her neck to get rid of the crick in it that had formed from napping in a chair. “It’s fine with me.” While Bill wasn’t her favorite person and the last person she wanted to spend time with, she knew that it was Jessica’s choice to have him there. If she wanted him there for this moment then who was Hillary to stop her?  
“Great,” Jessica softly smiled at her former stepfather.  
“Where are Chelsea and Hayley?” Hillary asked Bill.  
“At my place,” Bill explained. “Chelsea was fine with babysitting so that I could be here.”  
Hillary nodded just as the anesthesiologist and Nurse Abigail walked into Jessica’s room. Seemingly while Hillary was asleep, Jessica had progressed enough to finally be able to get an epidural.  
“I’m going to have to ask you two to wait outside for this part,” The anesthesiologist apologetically said to Bill and Hillary in a kind voice. “It shouldn’t take too long hopefully.”  
Hillary nodded. “We’ll be right outside the door, honey.”  
Jessica nodded in return, just grateful that she was finally getting her epidural.  
Bill followed Hillary out into the hallway and closed the door to Jessica’s room behind him.   
“So, how have you been, Hillary?” Bill awkwardly asked, trying to avoid the elephant in the room. That being the fact that his former wife was already engaged again and pregnant with another man’s child and that Bill had a new fiancee as well.  
“I’m fine,” Hillary cleared her throat. “How are things with you? How’s _Alexis_?” Hillary asked, an icy venom to her tone.  
“Fine. We’re both fine,” Bill nervously nodded, sure that Hillary didn’t want to discuss his former mistress and now new fiancee.  
Hillary just nodded, not sure what to say to Bill.  
“Um, I had a long drive. I’m going to get a coffee,” Bill said, sensing the awkward tension between the two of them. “Would you like one, Hillary?”  
“Uh, sure,” Hillary nodded. “That would be nice. Just a small one. Thank you. Black, please.”  
Bill nodded, still remembering how Hillary took her coffee as he started down the hallway to the elevators.

The anesthesiologist finished up with Jessica and was leaving the room just as Bill came back with their coffees and a cup of ice chips for Jessica.  
“Thanks,” Hillary said to Bill as she took her coffee from him.  
“No problem,” Bill softly smiled at her as they went back inside Jessica’s room.  
“Feeling better?” Hillary asked Jessica, going over to the left side of the bed while Bill flanked her on the other side of the hospital bed.   
“ _Much better,_ ” Jessica gratefully said as she pulled her long blonde hair up into a loose messy bun on the top of her head. She was in a much better state of mind after her epidural. "Except I can't feel my legs," she giggled, already getting slightly loopy from the drugs.   
“Well I'm glad you're feeling better,” Hillary chuckled and nodded just as her cell phone started ringing. She grabbed it and answered it without checking the call display.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey, honey,” Scott said on the other end. “I was just wondering, is there anywhere in particular you want to honeymoon to?”  
Hillary chuckled. “I don’t know.”  
Scott laughed. “Okay, well it’ll be a surprise then.”  
“What about Italy?” Hillary thought off the top of her head.  
“We’ll see,” Scott teased.  
“Paris?” Hillary suggested. "Paris _is_ the city of love."   
Scott laughed. “I want to surprise you, babe.”  
“I miss you _so_ much,” Hillary said with a half-whine, half-chuckle.  
Bill frowned and looked away, pretending to focus on something on the fetal monitor. He was happy that Hillary was happy but he hated that he wasn’t the cause of her happiness anymore. He felt guilty that his mistakes had driven her into the arms of another man.  
“I miss you, too, baby,” Scott said to Hillary. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”  
“Yep,” Hillary nodded to herself even though Scott couldn’t see. “Ugh, I’m gonna be so fat for the wedding.”  
“Oh, stop it, Hill. You won’t be _that_ far along,” Scott pointed out. “Even if you were, I wouldn’t care.”  
Hillary scoffed. “Yeah. You _would_.”  
Scott chuckled. “Baby, you’re pregnant. I think everyone knows that by now. Or they will know at the wedding anyways if they don’t know already. And you’re barely showing, baby.”  
Hillary sighed. “Fine. Don’t find a new girl in Los Angeles and leave me.” She tried to keep her tone light and in a teasing manner but she gave a pointed glance at Bill that didn’t go unnoticed by him. He looked down.  
“I’ll try not to, princess,” Scott teased.  
Hillary chuckled. “Okay. I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” They said their goodbyes and Hillary hung up, flipping her mobile phone shut.  
“Everything okay?” Jessica asked her.  
Hillary nodded.  
Jessica nodded in return, as she stared at her contractions on the fetal monitor.  
“You’re doing great, honey. I’m _so_ proud of you,” Hillary squeezed Jessica’s hand.  
Jessica smiled and nodded. “Thanks. Do you think I can push soon?”  
“I think it’ll still be a while, sweetie,” Hillary sympathetically said.  
Jessica groaned just as Abigail came in to check on her progress.  
“Wow, you’re moving right along,” The nurse said, pleasantly surprised. “You’re at eight centimeters.”  
“Thank _God_ ,” Jessica said. “I just want this thing out of me at this point.”  
“I’ll be back soon to check on you again,” Abigail replied.  
Jessica nodded but just as the young nurse was about to leave, the fetal monitor started beeping loudly and frantically.  
“What’s going on?” Jessica nervously asked the nurse as Abigail and another nurse rushed back over and paged for the doctor.  
Hillary and Bill both frowned, sensing something was wrong.  
“Okay, Jessica. You need to stay calm,” Abigail urged. “The baby’s heart rate is dropping and is becoming dangerously low. Sometimes the pitocin can slow down the fetal heart rate and cause the baby to go into fetal distress.”  
“What?” Jessica asked, the terror evident in her eyes as panic and worry also washed over Bill and Hillary’s faces. “Is my baby okay?”  
“I think a C-section is our best course of action right now,” Abigail advised. “We’ll see what Dr. Turner wants to do. But we need to get the baby out as soon as possible before her heart rate gets too low.”  
“What the hell?” Jessica exclaimed. “No. No. No. I _don’t_ want a C-section.”  
“Jessica,” Hillary sighed. “It’s okay. Something similar happened to me with you and I needed an emergency C-section. Everything will be fine.” She reassuringly squeezed Jessica’s hand.  
“I could go with her, right?” Hillary asked the nurses.  
“Sure,” Abigail nodded as she grabbed a disposable blue hairnet for Jessica out of a drawer. “But we’d need to prep the both of you quickly.”  
Jessica sighed in relief at the fact that her mother could at least go into the operating room with her but she still whined in displeasure. “I don’t _want_ a C-section!”  
“Honey,” Hillary sighed. “You have to. For the baby.”  
Jessica sighed and nodded, knowing her mom and the nurse were right. “Fine.”  
Abigail nodded and turned to the other nurse. “Clear an OR and page Dr. Turner. Tell her we’re doing a crash C-section on Jessica Rodham.”  
“Oh my God,” Jessica huffed, still not totally on board with the fact that she needed a C-section.  
“It’s going to be okay, Princess,” Bill tightly squeezed Jessica’s hand to reassure her. “I’ll be right out in the waiting room and I’ll see you and baby girl as soon as you’re out of surgery.”  
Jessica just nodded.  
Hillary weakly smiled as the nurse handed her a pair of light blue scrubs to change into along with a blue scrub cap and a white surgical mask. “Let’s go then.”  
  


* * * * * *

“I’m so nervous,” Jessica admitted, once they were in the OR and the medical staff was preparing her for her C-section.  
“It’s going to be okay,” Hillary soothed, holding Jessica’s hand. It felt weird to Hillary to be on the other side of things this time but she was glad that she could be there to support Jessica. She knew firsthand how terrifying an unplanned, emergency C-section was.  
“This won’t take long, Jessica,” Dr. Turner said, getting ready to begin. “You shouldn’t feel any pain because of your epidural but you will probably feel some pulling and tugging.”  
Jessica nodded. “Just get it over with.” She squeezed her mother’s hand.  
“Are you ready to be a mommy?” Hillary asked, stroking Jessica’s cheek.  
Jessica nodded and nervously sighed as Dr. Turner made the first incision.

  
“Baby’s out,” they heard one of the nurses say a few minutes later. “It’s a girl.”  
“Is she okay?” Jessica nervously asked, not hearing the baby crying.  
“She’s not crying,” Hillary worriedly said, as she also realized the baby wasn't crying.  
“She’ll pink up in a minute,” Dr. Turner said as they handed the baby off to the pediatrician on call to get her checked out.  
Both Jessica and Hillary looked across the OR in the direction of where the baby was getting examined. Both women sighed in relief a few seconds later when they finally heard the baby start to cry.  
“You can come take a look at her, Ms. Clinton. Before we take her down to the nursery,” the pediatrician said to Hillary.  
“Oh my God, I’m a mom,” Jessica realized, as she teared up at the sound of her daughter’s first cries. But the celebration was short-lived as she suddenly started feeling lightheaded and woozy.  
“You okay?” Hillary said to her, noticing that Jessica had a dazed look across her face.  
Jessica managed to nod slightly but all she wanted to do was go to sleep.  
“Uterus is boggy,” Dr. Turner said to the OB resident and the nurses. “I need a clamp.”  
“Can I see my baby?” Jessica sleepily said.  
“Hold on, Jessica,” Dr. Turner urged. “We have some active bleeding still so we can’t close you up just yet.” She turned to Abigail. “What’s her pressure?”  
“100/60,” Abigail answered.  
“Damn it, she’s hemorrhaging!” Dr. Turner suddenly exclaimed as the bleeding got worse.  
Hillary nervously looked around the room as the doctors and nurses tried to get Jessica’s bleeding under control. She squeezed Jessica’s hand reassuringly.  
“Can I go to sleep?” Jessica mumbled, more so to herself than to anybody in the room.  
“She’s oozing blood everywhere,” The OB Resident shook his head.  
“Am I bleeding out?” Jessica realized, a bewildered expression on her face.  
“You’re okay,” Hillary said, looking into Jessica’s eyes, and squeezing her hand. “Everything’s going to be just fine. The doctor’s know what they’re doing.”  
The monitors Jessica was hooked up to started loudly and rapidly beeping as Jessica’s blood pressure suddenly dropped dramatically. Jessica was fighting to keep her eyes open. Her body felt heavy and weak.  
“Let’s pump in some more saline. I’ll start another line,” The OB Resident said.  
“I want to see my baby,” Jessica begged in a weak voice.  
“You will, Jess,” Hillary said in a soothing tone of voice. “In just a little while.”  
“I’ll take her to the nursery,” The pediatrician said before he scooped the baby up in his arms and carried her out of the room, only allowing Hillary and Jessica to get a fleeting look at her before she was gone.  
“The blood will be here in ten minutes,” A nurse announced to the medical team, hanging up the phone in the OR.  
“We don’t _have_ ten minutes!” Abigail exclaimed in frustration.  
“Open a hysterectomy tray!” Dr. Turner ordered Abigail.  
“ _What_?” Jessica gasped. She was still feeling woozy and struggling to stay awake but she heard the word ‘hysterectomy’ loud and clear.  
“Is that really necessary?” Hillary asked Dr. Turner, a shocked look in her eyes. “She’s only twenty-one years old, Dr. Turner.”  
“Jessica, your uterus is atonic,” Dr. Turner explained to Jessica. “That means it's not firming back up after delivery the way it's supposed to. You’re losing _a lot_ of blood despite all the medications we’re giving you.”  
“Please don’t do a hysterectomy…” Jessica begged in a weak tone of voice, as she tried as hard as she could to stay awake.  
“We might not have a choice,” Dr. Turner said in a firm tone of voice.  
“No, please, don’t…” Jessica begged as her blood pressure severely dropped again with more blood loss. One of the nurses suddenly put an oxygen mask around her mouth. She finally couldn’t stay awake anymore, feeling like she was going to fall asleep any second.  
“Hang in there, Jessica,” from Abigail was the last thing Jessica heard when suddenly everything around her faded to white and looked fuzzy. The cacophony of voices in the room yelling complicated sounding medical jargon at one another sounded echo-y like they were coming from a million miles away…  
“ _Jessica!_ Honey?” Hillary loudly gasped in shock and surprise as Jessica passed out. 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wasn't going to end this chapter there but then as I was writing I was like...no this is actually a great place to leave things off for now ;) *evil laugh* Don't hate me haha. So, sorry for the cliffhanger but the scenes in the next chapter deserve their own chapter and not to be lumped in with this one. Hope you enjoyed the update and that you'll stick around for the next one. Have a great rest of your day/night. :)


	9. Fall To Pieces

“Okay, Ms. Clinton. I’m going to have to ask you to wait in the waiting room while we work on Jessica,” Dr. Turner said to Hillary as she worked frantically to stop Jessica’s bleeding.   
Hillary nodded understandingly and got up from the stool she had been sitting on. As much as she wanted to be there for her daughter and to make sure her daughter came through this, she knew that she had to put her trust in the medical professionals and let the medical team do their job.   
As a nurse escorted her out of the Operating Room, Hillary stopped in the doorway. She knew she would hate herself forever and never forgive herself if she didn’t speak up in that moment.   
“Please do whatever you have to do in order to save my daughter’s life,” Hillary began. “But...please, if possible. Please don’t do a hysterectomy. There has to be another way.” She wasn’t a doctor and she knew saving her daughter’s life was more important than saving her daughter’s fertility but she didn’t want Jessica’s ability to have more children to be robbed of her at only twenty-one years old.   
“We’ll do our best, Ms. Clinton,” Dr. Turner sighed. 

* * * * *

Bill didn’t like the look on Hillary’s face when she entered the waiting room after she had changed out of her scrubs and back into her regular clothes.   
“What’s going on?” Bill asked, noticing the worried look on Hillary’s face. She looked absolutely terrified if he was being honest. “Is Jessica okay? What about the baby?”   
“The baby’s fine. I think…” Hillary answered. She hadn’t even gone to the nursery to check on her first grandchild. She had been too worried about Jessica and had walked to the bathroom to change in a total daze.   
“And Jessica?” Bill asked, feeling his stomach drop.   
“She started hemorrhaging before they could close her and she lost _a lot_ of blood. Her blood pressure dropped, she passed out from the blood loss, and they’ll probably have to do a hysterectomy…” Hillary nervously rambled as she couldn’t help the tears that pooled in her eyes and threatened to spill over. All the intense emotions from the day were finally catching up to her.   
“Hey,” Bill said, standing up from the armchair he had been sitting in. “Hey. It’s okay. Jessica’s going to be okay.” He opened his arms wide and Hillary quickly sank into them as Bill tightly held her against his chest. Hillary sobbed into his shoulder, forgetting for a minute that he wasn’t her husband anymore.   
“Shhh,” Bill hushed as he tried to calm Hillary down, tightly holding her and soothingly running his large hands back and forth across her back. “Jessica’s going to be just fine. She’ll come through this with flying colours.”   
For a few minutes, while Bill held Hillary as she slowly calmed down, they weren’t a feuding ex-husband and ex-wife anymore. They were just worried parents.   
“Shhhh,” Bill soothed as he noticed Hillary’s sobs starting to subside and the shaking of her shoulders calm down. He wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist and led her over towards a couch to sit down. By the time he came back a few minutes later from getting Hillary a water bottle from the vending machine, she had calmed down some.   
“I told them not to do a hysterectomy,” Hillary said, unscrewing the cap of the water bottle. “I mean...if it was possible to avoid doing one. She’s too young.”   
Bill nodded in agreement, proud of Hillary for speaking up on Jessica’s behalf. He wouldn’t have expected anything less from his ex-wife.   
After what felt like an eternity, but in actuality was only about five or ten minutes, they saw Dr. Turner walking towards them.   
“How is she?” Hillary eagerly asked the doctor as Bill and Hillary stood up to talk to her.   
“We managed to stop the bleeding and sew Jessica up. We’re giving her blood transfusions and rehydrating her with fluids now,” Dr. Turner explained. “She’s going to need to stay in the hospital for a few days to recover but she’s going to be just fine. You can see her in a few minutes after we move her out of recovery.”   
“And her uterus…?” Hillary asked, wanting to know if they needed to do a hysterectomy or not.   
“We were able to avoid needing to resort to a hysterectomy,” Dr. Turner nodded and half-smiled. She had been quick to want to rush to that option but Hillary’s words had made her stop to consider other options first even if they took longer. “Her reproductive system is still intact.”   
“So she can still get pregnant again in the future?” Bill asked for total clarification.   
“I don’t see why not,” Dr. Turner shrugged. “I mean scar tissue is sometimes an issue after C-sections but otherwise, she’s a healthy twenty-one year old with an otherwise healthy reproductive system.”   
Hillary nodded and gave a great big sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Doctor.”   
Dr. Turner nodded. “No problem.”   
“How about the baby?” Bill asked eagerly. “Can we see the baby?”   
Dr. Turner grinned. “Let’s go meet your grandchild.”   
  


* * * * * 

“She looks _just_ like Jessica did when she was a baby,” Hillary smiled, staring down at the tiny baby girl who was bundled up in her arms.   
“She’s so little,” Bill commented, as he leaned over. “You forget how tiny newborns can be,” Bill marveled.   
Bill and Hillary had to admit that it had felt weird to “meet” and hold their granddaughter before their daughter got to meet _her_ daughter but they had been having so much fun together as they took turns passing the baby girl back and forth between each other while Jessica dozed. She still hadn’t woken up yet, probably from the medications she had been given and her body needed to recover from the blood loss.   
“Does she have a name?” Bill asked curiously, reaching his arms out for his turn to hold the baby.   
“I think Jessica liked the name Sophia,” Hillary said, handing the baby over. “But we’ll have to see if she still wants to go with Sophia when she wakes up.”   
Bill nodded and smiled down at his granddaughter. “Hi,” He cooed. “I’m your grandpa.”   
They suddenly noticed Jessica stirring in her sleep.   
“Hey,” Hillary whispered when she noticed Jessica slowly open her eyes.   
“Hi,” Jessica croaked, her eyes still half-closed. “What happened?” She still felt groggy and couldn’t quite remember how she had ended up in a hospital bed.   
“You gave us a bit of a scare but you toughed it out,” Hillary explained, going over to the side of the bed and gently squeezing Jessica’s hand.   
“Do you want to meet your daughter?” Bill asked, holding the baby out to her.   
Jessica weakly smiled as the events of the day suddenly flooded back to her. “Of course I do. Is she alright?”   
Bill nodded and passed the baby over. “She’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”   
“Oh my God,” Jessica suddenly teared up as she held her daughter for the first time. “Hi, Sophia,” she said, in awe. “She’s so tiny,” She giggled, tears of joy running down her face.   
Hillary felt herself getting a little misty eyed, seeing her daughter become a mother for the first time.   
“She looks _exactly_ like you did as a baby,” Hillary commented.   
“I can’t believe she’s mine,” Jessica said with a chuckle of disbelief as she stared at her daughter in total awe while Sophia happily cooed. “And what about…?” She looked down towards her stomach as the memories of her C-section came rushing back to her.   
“Yeah, you still have your uterus,” Hillary softly smiled.   
“Thank God,” Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. She stared back down at the baby girl in her arms. “Hi! I’m your mommy. You’re _so_ precious. My little Sophie.”   
She smiled down at her daughter just as Nurse Abigail walked into the room.   
“Oh, you’re up!” Abigail grinned. “Perfect. How are you feeling?”   
“Groggy,” Jessica admitted. “And exhausted.”   
“Any pain?” Abigail asked as she checked Jessica’s vitals.   
“Actually...no,” Jessica answered just as she realized she had a buzzy and lightheaded feeling.   
“That’s the drugs. Enjoy them while they last,” Hillary joked.   
“You know, you owe your mom here for your future children,” Abigail pointed out as she inspected Jessica’s IV.   
Jessica gave her mom a knowing smile, figuring her mom must have argued with the doctor about performing a hysterectomy.   
“You know, this one came out so perfectly...you ought to think about doing it again,” Bill teased.   
“Yeah, I’m gonna get right on that, Bill,” Jessica sarcastically said, playfully rolling her eyes and she held Sophia close to her.   
Bill chuckled.   
“Okay, I have to go. My shift is over. I just wanted to check on you before I headed home. Your postpartum nurse, Becca, will take over from here. She’s great,” Abigail said as she made some notes on Jessica’s chart and put it back down.   
“You’re leaving?” Jessica said, with wide eyes.   
“You’ll be fine,” Abigail chuckled. “You seem to have a great support system,” she looked at Bill and Hillary. She smiled at Jessica and Sophia one last time. “Congratulations.”   
“Thank you _so_ much for everything you did today,” Hillary gratefully said to the young nurse before she left.   
“You’re very welcome,” Abigail softly smiled and stopped in the doorway before she left Jessica’s room. She turned to Jessica. “You were very brave today.”   
Jessica scoffed. “I don’t know about that.”   
“Oh, trust me,” Abigail nodded.   
Jessica just nodded and smiled, knowing that the young nurse must see hundreds of women in labor a week.   
“Well, goodnight,” Abigail said. "I'll come check on you tomorrow morning."   
“Night,” Bill said before Abigail left and closed the door behind her.   
“Do you want me to call…?” Hillary wasn’t sure where Derek had ended up after college.   
“California,” Jessica said quietly, knowing what Hillary was getting at.   
Hillary nodded. “Do you want me to call him?”   
Jessica shook her head. “Not yet.”   
Hillary just nodded again, respecting her daughter’s decision and wishes.   
“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Jessica chuckled.   
“As you should be,” Bill chuckled.   
Jessica nodded and sighed. “she’s so gorgeous,” She said, staring down at Sophia, marvelling at the newborn.   
“She really is,” Hillary agreed, giving Jessica a peck on the top of her head.   
Jessica smiled to herself. “But Oh my God. That hurt _so bad_.”   
Hillary chuckled before she realized something. “Oh my God, I better call Scott and update him,” she said. She had completely lost track of time and was surprised to see out the window of Jessica's room that it was already getting dark outside.   
Bill stood up at the mention of Scott’s name. “I think I should get going. Give you girls some alone time with the baby. It’s late and I have a long drive home. I’m sure Chelsea is anxiously waiting for an update as well.”   
Hillary nodded. “I’ll walk you out.” She took the baby from Jessica so that Bill and Jessica could hug each other goodbye.   
“Thank you for being here today, Bill,” Jessica gratefully said. She knew Bill didn’t have any obligation to her anymore seeing as he was divorced from her mother but he had shown up anyways after Jessica had texted him. That gesture meant the _world_ to Jessica.   
“I expect _lots_ of baby pictures,” Bill said with a knowing smirk on his face.   
“Of course I’ll email you tons of updates and pictures,” Jessica assured her former stepfather.   
Bill nodded. “That nurse was right, by the way. You were incredibly brave today, Jess.”   
Jessica shyly smiled. “Thanks, Bill.”   
Bill softly smiled at her. “I’ll see you around, kiddo,” He said as Hillary passed Sophia back to Jessica so that she could walk Bill out.   
Jessica nodded. “See you around.”   
“Be right back,” Hillary said to Jessica before she followed Bill out of the room and down the hallway. 

“Today was really great,” Bill marvelled a few minutes later as he pressed the button for the elevator.   
“It was,” Hillary nodded in agreement. “Other than the whole ‘our daughter almost bled out and died’ thing that is,” Hillary deadpanned, trying to keep the mood light.   
Bill looked at her to see if she was serious and he was relieved that Hillary was smirking.   
He chuckled. “Yes, apart from that aspect. But I’m glad Jessica let me be a part of things today.”   
Hillary nodded. As much as she hadn’t wanted to see Bill when he first showed up at the hospital, she was actually glad that Jessica had reached out to him. He had been a great support to both Hillary and Jessica that day and especially to Hillary earlier in the waiting room. Forgetting momentarily that she and Bill weren’t together anymore, on instinct alone she placed her hands on Bill’s cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. But Bill pulled away from her, causing reality to crash down around Hillary.   
“Listen, Hillary,” Bill began, taking a few steps away from her. “Today was fun. But we’re not together anymore. We’re not even married anymore. You’re engaged and pregnant with another man’s baby.” He stared down at Hillary’s mid-section which didn’t have a baby bump yet but had definitely widened slightly and you could tell she had gained a few pounds. He also stared at the extravagant and large princess-cut diamond engagement ring on Hillary’s left finger. “And I’m engaged, too. I don’t want to mess things up this time.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement, not wanting Bill to make the same mistakes he’d made with her with his new fiancee.   
“But hey, we can still be friends right?” Bill asked. “We owe each other that at least? For the kids?” He opened his arms out towards Hillary for one last hug before he got on the waiting elevator.   
Hillary nodded and stepped into the hug. She wrapped her arms around Bill’s shoulders and hugged him tight. “Yeah, absolutely. Nearly twenty years together shouldn’t end the way it did," she said, referring to the bitter divorce their marriage had ended in.   
Bill nodded in agreement and pulled away from the hug. “So friends?” He said as he stepped onto the elevator.   
Hillary nodded and stared at Bill. “Friends,” she said just as the elevator doors closed, leaving her standing alone in the hallway of the maternity ward. 

To Be Continued… 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See everybody is safe, healthy, and (relatively) happy...for now ;) 
> 
> And side note, because I care about continuity and timelines and try to stick to them as much as possible in my writing, I googled a calendar from July 2006 and decided Sophia's birthday is July 22nd. I'm a few days early because I didn't feel like waiting any longer to update but Happy 14th Birthday, Sophia Rodham LOL. 
> 
> Hope everyone is well right now and that you enjoyed this little update! :) There is lots more in store. Even though we are already almost 10 chapters in (which I can't even believe myself), we haven't even scratched the surface of this story yet, believe it or not. Hope you'll stick around because juicy things are still to come.


	10. Domestic Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter wasn't planned but I felt like something was missing in between the events of the last chapter and the events of the next chapter so I felt like I needed something to bridge the gap between the two chapters. So consider this a bonus chapter I guess haha. Hope you are all staying safe and well right now and thank you for sticking with this story!

After Jessica had decided to take a much deserved nap and the nurses took Sophia to the nursery so Jessica could get some proper rest, Hillary went downstairs to the hospital cafeteria to get a (decaf) coffee and to update Scott.   
“Hello?” Scott answered his phone after a few rings.   
“Hi!” Hillary excitedly said.   
"Hey!” Scott greeted, happy to hear his fiancee’s voice. “Did Jess have the baby yet?”   
“Yep, it was a healthy seven pound, ten ounce baby girl. She named her Sophia,” Hillary replied, smiling to herself. “She ended up needing an emergency C-section and there were some complications but everything’s fine now. Both Jess and the baby are healthy and doing great.”   
“Aww, that’s great, honey,” Scott said. “And how are you doing?”   
“I’m wonderful,” Hillary answered with an excited and thrilled giggle. “I just miss you.”   
“Aww, I miss you, too, honey,” Scott said.   
“So, come home!” Hillary playfully said.   
“One more day, sweetheart,” Scott assured her. “I miss talking to the baby,” he chuckled. “How is she?”   
“He or she is fine,” Hillary answered, chuckling.   
“It’s a she,” Scott confidently said. “It has to be a Natalie.”   
“Or an Alexander,” Hillary retorted, chuckling.   
“Nope, it's Natalie,” Scott teased.   
“Well, I think it's a boy,” Hillary said.   
“And _I_ think it's a girl,” Scott insisted.   
“Well, we’re finding out soon,” Hillary chuckled.   
Yep,” Scott replied. “Anyways, can you pick me up from the airport tomorrow night?”   
“Of course, honey,” Hillary said. “I can’t wait to see you. And I can’t wait to go home and sleep in our bed together for the first time in _forever_ .”   
“I know,” Scott agreed. “I’ve been so busy with work recently. I’m sorry.”   
Hillary sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “It’s okay. I just miss you a lot.”   
“I miss you, too,” Scott sighed.   
“And Alex misses his daddy,” Hillary teased, rubbing her abdomen.   
“It’s not an Alex!” Scott chuckled. “It’s a Natalie!”   
“Well, we’ll see,” Hillary laughed.   
“Yes, we will,” Scott laughed. “Anyways, I’ve gotta head into a meeting. I love you.”   
“Alright, love you, too,” Hillary said. “How’s the case you’re working on going by the way?”   
“It’s going great. I think we’ll reach a settlement agreement tonight,” Scott answered. “You’ll have to come with me to L.A. next time.”   
“Definitely,” Hillary agreed. “I just didn’t want to leave Jessica now with the baby being due any day.”   
“I know. I get it,” Scott assured her. “It’s a good thing you did stay in New Haven,” he pointed out with a chuckle.   
“Yeah, it was,” Hillary agreed, laughing.   
“And that’s going to be us soon,” Scott pointed out.   
“Yep!” Hillary excitedly agreed. “I’m so excited.”   
“Me, too,” Scott happily replied.   
“You actually have a reason to _be_ excited,” Hillary suddenly sighed before she took another sip of her coffee. “I should be nervous.”   
“Why?” Scott asked worriedly.   
“I’m nearly fifty,” Hillary sighed. “What if there are complications?”   
That thought had been heavy on her mind after she had watched Jessica nearly hemorrhage to death on the operating table. If it could happen to her much younger daughter, then why wouldn’t something go wrong with her own pregnancy at her age?   
“Oh, you’ll be fine, sweetie,” Scott assured his fiancee. “I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”   
Hillary sighed. “Well I definitely see an epidural in my future,” she joked.   
“Fine by me,” Scott chuckled.   
“Good,” Hillary smiled to herself.   
“I miss you, Hill,” Scott sadly sighed.   
“I miss you more,” Hillary quietly said.   
“I love you so much,” Scott replied.   
“And I love you more,” Hillary grinned to herself. “You better get to your meeting though. I’ll see you tomorrow.”   
“Bye, sweetheart. Tell Natalie daddy misses her,” Scott sweetly said.   
“I will,” Hillary softly said. “But it’s Alex,” she sharply added, a teasing tone to her voice.   
“Nope, its Natalie,” Scott teased.   
“I’m right!” Hillary insisted with a chuckle.   
“Nuh uh!” Scott jokingly retorted.   
Hillary giggled.   
“I love your laugh,” Scott said, also chuckling. “Ugh, I miss you so much, babe. I miss cuddling with you.”   
“I know, baby,” Hillary agreed. “I love you.”   
“Love you, too,” Scott replied.   
“I’ll call you before I go to bed,” Hillary said.   
“Alright,” Scott said. “I’ll be looking forward to it. Tell Jessica I said congratulations.”   
“Of course,” Hillary assured him.   
“Love you, baby,” Scott said one last time.   
“Love you, too,” Hillary said before they said their goodbyes and she hung up.   
  


When she went back to Jessica’s room a few minutes later, Jessica was awake and the nurse had brought the baby back from the nursery.   
“Hey,” Hillary said, softly smiling at her daughter.   
“Hey,” Jessica sleepily smiled in return.   
“How are you feeling?” Hillary asked, standing at Jessica’s bedside.   
“I’m still pretty groggy,” Jessica admitted. “And a little sore.” She slightly groaned as the pain meds were starting to wear off. “Can you pass me the baby?”   
Hillary nodded and picked up Sophia from the clear plastic bassinet.   
“Hi, Sophia Hillary!” Jessica cooed when her mother had handed her the baby. “She’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” she marvelled as she smiled down at her daughter. “And she’s so tiny. Was I this tiny?”   
“You were about the same size,” Hillary smiled nostalgically as the memories from the night Jessica was born came back to her. “I can’t believe this was us almost twenty-two years ago.”   
“Aww,” Jessica chuckled.   
Hillary leaned over and pecked Jessica’s forehead.   
“You can go home if you want,” Jessica offered. “I’ll be fine... I think,” she added, with an uncertain look on her face.   
“No way,” Hillary refused, taking a seat in the chair next to Jessica's bed. “I’m staying here until they kick me out.”   
“Mom, you need rest,” Jessica pointed out. “A _good night’s_ rest. You’re pregnant.”   
“No, I don’t want to stay in that big house all by myself,” Hillary admitted, frowning.   
Jessica laughed. “Mom, Scott got that crazy high-tech security system installed when you guys moved in and there’s a giant gate out front. I’m sure it's safe.”   
“Well, I’ll be lonely,” Hillary shrugged. “I miss Scott.” She sighed.   
“You two are so cute,” Jessica sweetly smiled.   
Hillary blushed. “Thanks.”   
Jessica turned her attention to her daughter. She gently held Sophia against her chest as Sophia suddenly started crying.   
“Do you think she’s hungry?” Jessica nervously asked Hillary.   
“Probably,” Hillary nodded. “I’ll go find a nurse so you can get a breastfeeding lesson.”   
Jessica nodded. “Thanks.”   
Hillary nodded and left the room.   
“It’s okay, baby,” Jessica soothed as she gently rocked Sophia. “I know you’re hungry. Mama will feed you soon,” she soothed as the baby’s crying intensified.   
“Mom, what do I do?” Jessica nervously asked when Hillary came back with Jessica’s postpartum nurse a few minutes later, as Sophia hadn’t calmed down yet.   
“She’s probably just hungry, sweetheart,” Hillary assured Jessica.   
“I’ll show you how to feed her,” Becca, the nurse said.   
Jessica nodded. “Please.” 

“That’s it,” Hillary smiled a few minutes later as the nurse showed Jessica how to get the baby to latch on.   
“I’m so exhausted,” Jessica sighed as the baby ate.   
“Well, you had a big day,” Becca said with a smile.   
Jessica nodded in agreement. “I need another nap,” she chuckled.   
“There, that’s better, isn’t it?” Hillary cooed to Sophia after the baby was done eating.   
Jessica pulled her hospital gown back up and got Sophia nestled comfortably in her arms. “I love you so much, baby girl,” she whispered.   
Suddenly Hillary’s phone rang. Hillary quickly answered it before it could disturb Sophia, who was starting to close her pretty little brown eyes.   
“Hello?”   
“Hi!” Chelsea’s excited voice came through on the other end.   
“Hey!” Hillary smiled to herself.   
“Dad told me everything,” Chelsea gushed. “I can’t believe she’s finally here!”   
Hillary chuckled. “I know. She’s so cute and sweet, Chels. I’ll text you some pictures.”   
“What’s her name?” Chelsea asked.   
“Sophia Hillary,” Hillary answered.   
“Aww!” Chelsea squealed. “Maybe Dad can drive Hayley and I to the hospital tomorrow to visit. I can’t wait to meet her!”   
“Chelsea, calm down,” Hillary heard Bill say in the background.   
“Oh, Chelsea. Tell him to shut up,” Hillary chuckled, rolling her eyes.   
Chelsea giggled at her mom’s comment.   
“Chelsea, seriously. Your sister’s sleeping,” Bill said in an annoyed tone in the background.   
“What’s his problem?” Hillary asked, confused seeing as he had been in good spirits when she had last seen him only a couple of hours prior.   
Chelsea sighed. “I think him and Alexis had a fight or something. I don’t know.”   
“Ugh, give him the phone, Chels,” Hillary sighed. “Let me talk to him.”   
Chelsea sighed and did what her mother said.   
Hillary didn’t know what Bill’s problem was, seeing as things between them had been just fine — in fact better than they had been in months — at the hospital only less than two hours ago.   
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Hillary, but Chelsea has developed a bit of an attitude problem recently,” Bill angrily said.   
Hillary huffed. “Well, not when she’s with me. But if she’s acting out when she’s with you then maybe it's because you’re shacked up with some slut more than half your age!” Hillary angrily retorted.   
“Or maybe it's because you’re engaged to some drug addict!” Bill shot back.   
“Don’t you dare,” Hillary said in an angry, low voice. “He’s been clean for _years_ . I wouldn’t let him around my kids otherwise. You _know_ that.”   
Bill just scoffed.   
“You’re just jealous because he’s done more for me and the kids than you ever did in our entire marriage,” Hillary accused, narrowing her eyes even though she knew Bill couldn’t see her.   
Bill scoffed again. “That’s bullshit, Hillary, and you know it. And way to go, now I only get to see my kids twice a year.”   
“And that was _your_ choice,” Hillary pointed out.   
“I couldn’t help that I got a job in Arkansas,” Bill argued.   
“And you could have gotten a job teaching law school somewhere in the Tri-State Area,” Hillary pointed out. “But you wanted to be with Alexis. Like I said, you made your choice.”   
“Well, so did you,” Bill angrily said.   
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hillary asked in confusion.   
“You made your choice to be with Scott and have his baby,” Bill bitterly said.   
“And why shouldn’t I?” Hillary argued. “He loves me, and he loves this baby and he treats my children like they’re his own! Meanwhile, your _Alexis_ is a selfish narcissistic bitch who could give two flying fucks about our children. Not to mention she’s the same age as our daughter!”   
“Jessica isn’t _my_ daughter,” Bill bitterly said.   
“Fuck you!” Hillary loudly exclaimed, causing Jessica to jump slightly in surprise. She looked down at Sophia to make sure she hadn’t woken up from the loud noise.   
“Um,” Hillary took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “Tell Hayley and Chelsea that I love them and I’ll see them in a few days.”   
“Fine,” Bill said before Hillary could say anything else.   
“And if you’re having issues in your relationship...don’t take it out on our kids,” Hillary angrily added before she hung up on him without saying anything else.   
_So much for being friends_ Hillary thought, rolling her eyes.   
“I can’t believe I spent nearly twenty years of my life married to him,” she fumed out loud.   
Jessica smiled sympathetically while holding Sophia close to her. “Sorry.” She frowned at her mother.   
“It’s not your problem,” Hillary sighed, dropping her mobile phone back into her purse.   
“What did he say to make you so angry?” Jessica asked curiously.   
Hillary shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”   
“Mom,” Jessica urged, knowing her mom better than that.   
Hillary sadly sighed. “He said you’re not his daughter.”   
“Oh,” Jessica sighed and frowned. She slightly shrugged as a look of sadness fell over her face. “Well...it's true.”   
“Stop it, you know it's not,” Hillary said. “Something must have happened between him leaving the hospital and getting home. Chelsea said him and Alexis had some kind of a fight so he’s just in a sour mood. Don't pay any attention to him. He was fine when I said goodbye to him earlier.”   
Jessica just nodded, not wanting to let Bill’s comment ruin what was otherwise a happy day. She wasn’t going to think about it and instead just wanted to focus on the newborn in her arms.   
Hillary pecked the top of her daughter’s head while Jessica let out a big yawn.   
“Nap time again,” Jessica said, chuckling, as she passed Sophia over to Hillary.   
Hillary nodded and carefully placed a now sleeping Sophia in her bassinet while Jessica dozed off.   
  


* * * * * 

The next evening, after spending most of the day at the hospital with Jessica and Sophia (and Chelsea and Hayley who had been dropped off and hung out at the hospital for a bit to meet their new niece), Hillary ran into the arrivals area of the airport just in the nick of time, a few minutes after Scott’s flight had landed.   
She grinned when he came over to her a few minutes later and she excitedly ran into his arms. Scott dropped his luggage and tightly squeezed her.   
“Hi!” Hillary excitedly said, pecking Scott’s lips.   
“Oh, God, baby. I’ve missed you _so_ much,” Scott grinned at the sight of her.   
“Me, too!” Hillary excitedly squealed. “Let’s go home. The house is empty for once. Chelsea’s at a sleepover and Bill agreed to keep Hayley for an extra night.”   
“Jessica’s still in the hospital?” Scott checked, picking his luggage back up.   
Hillary nodded. “She has to stay a few extra days because of the C-section. To recover from the complications.”   
Scott frowned. “I see.”   
“We can go visit her in the morning,” Hillary offered.   
Scott nodded. “Of course.”   
“And she needs to take it easy for a few days after she comes home,” Hillary added. “She’s looking for a place to live in Connecticut but she and the baby are staying with us for a while at least. Probably until after the wedding.”   
“That’s fine,” Scott assured Hillary. “The new house has plenty of room,” he chuckled. “Let’s go home.”   
Hillary excitedly nodded and started walking with Scott to the car.   
  


* * * * * 

“So, how was L.A.?” Hillary asked Scott while she drove home.   
“It was pretty good,” Scott nodded.   
Hillary nodded and smiled. “Did you get a chance to go to the beach at all?”   
“Well, of course!” Scott smiled and nodded.   
Hillary smiled. “Good. Good.”   
“The only thing the trip needed that was missing was my beautiful soon-to-be wife and mother of my child,” Scott grinned.   
Hillary blushed.   
“I’ve come to the conclusion that our house is too big,” Hillary joked after they had arrived home a few minutes later.   
Scott chuckled. “You're the one who wanted all those guest bedrooms.”   
Hillary smirked and playfully shrugged.   
“And I think wanting a swimming pool was your idea too,” Scott smirked.   
“Shut up. You know I love the house,” Hillary assured her fiance. “I just feel lonely when I’m home alone.”   
Scott nodded as he grabbed his luggage from the trunk. “I know. I’ll try to cut back on my work trips going forward.”   
Hillary nodded as they started walking up the driveway.   
“I missed this house,” Scott smiled as they walked inside the front door.   
“Well, I missed you!” Hillary grinned. “Our bed is _way_ too big for one person.”   
Scott chuckled as he put his luggage down and left it by the front door for the time being.   
“Want to just relax the rest of the evening?” Hillary asked. “We can finally catch up on all those shows we recorded and never watched.”   
“Sure,” Scott nodded. “I’ve missed _24_.”   
“But have you missed _Desperate Housewives_?” Hillary teased with a smirk.   
Scott chuckled. “You know I have.”   
Hillary laughed as they went upstairs to their master bedroom.   
“I’m going to take a quick shower,” Scott said.   
Hillary nodded. “Go ahead.”   
Scott nodded and made his way into the bathroom.   
Hillary changed into a pair of black leggings and a white camisole while she waited for Scott to come back. She got comfortable in the bed and turned the TV on. After a few minutes, Scott came back and changed into a pair of navy blue plaid boxers. He climbed into the bed with Hillary.   
“You have such great abs,” Hillary complimented him as she cuddled up to him.   
“Well, thank you,” Scott chuckled. He leaned down and kissed her, rubbing her stomach at the same time. “Hi, Nat,” he said when he pulled away from the kiss.   
“No!” Hillary laughed. “It’s Alex!”   
Scott laughed and squeezed her.   
Hillary giggled.   
“So, the bridesmaids dresses are ready?” Scott asked, rubbing Hillary’s back.   
Hillary nodded. “They’re really pretty.”   
“And Hayley’s flower girl dress is good to go too?” Scott checked.   
Hillary nodded. “Yep. We still have a few last minute things to do before the big day but everything is pretty much ready to go.”   
“Good,” Scott nodded. He leaned down and passionately kissed Hillary again.   
Hillary moaned into the kiss until she suddenly pulled away and smirked. “You thought you would get out of _Desperate Housewives_ with sex, didn’t you?”   
Scott smirked. “Maybe?”   
Hillary laughed. “Well, you’re wrong, Mister!”   
Scott groaned. “Come on, baby. I’ve been gone for almost two weeks.”   
“And?” Hillary raised an eyebrow.   
“Come on, baby!” Scott begged.   
“I think you’re going to have to wait until our honeymoon,” Hillary teased with a smirk on her face.   
“Hillary!” Scott whined.   
“Come on,” Hillary tried. “Think of how amazing it’ll be if we wait.”   
“But the wedding’s still three weeks away,” Scott groaned.   
“Yeah...and?” Hillary giggled.   
“Please,” Scott begged. “We can start abstaining until the wedding after tonight.”   
“Hmmm, I don’t know,” Hillary teased. “My boobs are kind of sore right now.”   
“Really?” Scott didn’t look impressed.   
Hillary just shrugged, a teasing look on her face. “Pregnancy downside.”   
“Hillary!”   
Hillary chuckled. “Fine! But make it fast!”   
Scott grinned as he climbed on top of her and straddled her.   
Hillary giggled.   
Scott leaned down and started passionately kissing her. Hillary moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Scott’s neck. Scott quickly pulled off her camisole and started lightly kissing her breasts. Hillary moaned as he moved down to her stomach. He quickly took off her leggings and underwear and starting rubbing her clit.   
“Oh, God,” Hillary moaned in pleasure, closing her eyes. She sat up to pull down his boxers, grabbing his cock in the process.   
“Fuck!” Scott groaned.   
Hillary smirked as Scott started lightly kissing her neck.   
“Fuck me, please,” Hillary begged.   
Scott obeyed as he quickly pushed inside of her.   
“Oh, fuck,” Hillary moaned. “Scott.” She gasped as he started sucking on her neck. “Oh, yes,” she panted as Scott started moving faster. “Fuck...I’m close.”   
“Me, too,” Scott moaned.   
Hillary groaned. “Make me come,” she begged.   
“You feel so good,” Scott growled out, as he continued thrusting.   
“Go deeper,” Hillary begged. “ _Please_ , don’t stop,” she begged as Scott obeyed her request.   
“You think I’m going to stop _now_ , baby?” Scott said, chuckling slightly.   
“I’m gonna come,” Hillary moaned.   
“Me, too,” Scott groaned. He quickly climaxed, followed by Hillary.   
“Holy shit,” Scott said, collapsing breathlessly on the bed besides Hillary.   
“Damn, that was good,” Hillary said, still trying to catch her breath.   
“Definitely,” Scott said, panting. “I love you.”   
“I love you, too,” Hillary grinned at him. “So much.”   
Scott smiled at her in return.   
“Fuck, that was good sex,” Hillary remarked, chuckling.   
Scott laughed. “I agree.” He quickly pecked her lips. “Want to take a bath together?”   
“Please.”   
  


* * * * *

Hillary happily moaned as she climbed into the large, warm, relaxing spa tub with raspberry scented bubbles.   
Scott climbed in behind her and passionately kissed her lips.   
“You are _so_ gorgeous, Hillary,” he said, after pulling away.   
Hillary blushed. “Shut up.”   
“I’m serious,” Scott said. “You’re so pretty.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind.   
Hillary smiled to herself. “I love you. I really do.”   
“I love you, too,” Scott said before he gently kissed her again. “Are you ready to be my wife?” he teased, smirking.   
“More than ready,” Hillary grinned. “Thank you for being so good to me.” She lay her head against his shoulder.   
“Well, I love you,” Scott said, gently playing with her hair. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.   
“I love you, too,” Hillary said. “But I am a little nervous about the wedding.”   
“Aww, don’t be,” Scott assured her. “It’s gonna be perfect.”   
“I hope so,” Hillary nodded, smiling to herself.   
“I _know_ it will be,” Scott said in his typical self-assured manner.   
Hillary nodded.   
Scott smiled and rested his hand on her slightly swollen stomach.   
“I’m so excited,” he said.   
“Oh, God. Me, too,” Hillary grinned. “Everything is going to be so perfect.”   
Scott grinned and kissed her lips again.   
Hillary moaned and trailed her hands down his legs.   
Scott pushed his hand in between Hillary’s thighs causing Hillary to gasp in surprise. He started gently massaging her clit.   
“That feels so good,” she moaned.   
She turned around so that she was facing Scott so she could return the favor, water splashing over the side of the tub in the process. She groaned as she felt Scott go inside of her.   
“Fuck,” she gasped out as she started moving her hips gently.   
Scott groaned.   
“You like that?” Hillary seductively whispered in his ear.   
He groaned again and nodded.”You’re perfect.”   
Hillary smirked.   
Scott growled as Hillary kissed his neck.   
“You’re so sexy,” she whispered.   
“So are you,” Scott moaned out. “Oh, God,” he groaned as Hillary started grinding her hips faster. “Holy shit, Hillary.”   
Hillary smirked again.   
“You’re so hot,” Scott groaned. “Fuck, I’m gonna come,” he said as he felt his erection.   
“Come inside me,” Hillary whispered in a breathy voice.   
Scott nodded. He climaxed first, followed by Hillary.   
“Holy fuck,” Scott moaned, trying to catch his breath.   
Hillary chuckled and winked playfully. “You didn’t think I had that in me, did you?”   
“You deserve a little something for that,” Scott said before he started sucking on her neck.   
“What the hell has gotten into us?” Hillary joked, loudly laughing and giggling like a teenager.   
Scott chuckled. “What do they say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?”   
Hillary giggled as Scott got out of the tub and lifted her out of it. After quickly drying off, he led her back to their bedroom and pushed her down onto the bed. Hillary moaned as he started kissing down her body.   
She gasped as he started lightly kissing her hip, one of her sensitive spots.   
Scott smirked before he moved down to her clit and started sucking on it.   
“ _Fuck_ ,” Hillary loudly moaned out, gasping in pleasure   
Scott smirked before he resumed sucking on her core.   
“Don’t stop,” Hillary begged. She moaned as she came a few minutes later.   
Scott smiled and crawled back into bed beside Hillary.   
He gently kissed her lips. “You’re so pretty, Hillary,” he marvelled after he pulled away, playing with her blonde hair.   
Hillary blushed.   
“I love you. You’re my everything, Hillary.”   
Hillary smiled as she cuddled up to him. “I love you, too.” She grabbed the television remote off of the nightstand and found _Desperate Housewives_ on their DVR.   
“Are you hungry? I could make us some dinner?” Scott suggested.   
“Nuh-uh, you aren’t getting out of this, Mister,” Hillary said, playfully wagging her index finger in his face. “I’ve been waiting a whole week and a half for this,” she teased.   
Scott chuckled. “But doesn’t spaghetti and meatballs sound _amazing_ right now?”   
Hillary laughed and shrugged. “Possibly.”   
“Or my extra cheesy macaroni and cheese?” Scott tried, a teasing look on his face.   
“Well, you _know_ I can’t resist your mac and cheese,” Hillary smirked.   
Scott grinned. “It _does_ take a while to make. I should go get it started. Be right back.”   
Hillary just chuckled and nodded. “Hurry back though. You’re not getting out of _Desperate Housewives_ that easily!” 

To Be Continued…   
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So more Hillary and Scott in this chapter and Bill and Hillary did have a heat of the moment argument but only about 2 or 3 more chapters until we start to slowly ease our way back into Billary...with lots of ups and downs of course ;) 
> 
> Thank you _so_ much for reading and I hope everybody has a nice weekend. :)


	11. Here Comes The Bride

“Mom, calm down,” Jessica chuckled as Hillary frantically curled her —now longer and several shades blonder— hair with her curling iron. “We still have lots of time before the ceremony.”  
Hillary and Scott’s wedding day had finally arrived but it hadn’t arrived without hiccups. The one most concerning to Hillary currently was that the hair and makeup artist had cancelled that morning due to coming down with a case of the flu. Hillary was frantically trying to do her own hair and makeup while also making sure that her bridesmaids would be dressed and ready to go by the time the ceremony was due to start in less than two hours.  
“Yeah, mom. It’s going to be okay,” Chelsea said, reaching for the curling iron. “Aunt Betsy said she’d curl your hair after she finishes putting her makeup on,” she assured her mother.  
“Yeah, we still have _lots_ of time, Hill,” Melissa agreed, coming out of the en-suite bathroom and into Hillary’s bedroom after just having changed into her pale pink bridesmaid dress.  
“Two hours isn’t enough time!” Hillary exclaimed. She was feeling so foolish for going along with Scott in wanting to have a large, lavish wedding. At this moment, she was desperately wishing they had just gone to City Hall for a quick and simple ceremony.  
“Mom, we have enough time,” Jessica assured Hillary.  
Chelsea nodded in agreement. “You’re going to look great.”  
“Should we get Hayley dressed soon?” Hillary asked, finally relenting as she unplugged the curling iron and put it down for the meantime.  
“No. It’s too early. She’ll get her dress dirty,” Jessica said.  
Hillary nervously nodded in agreement and took a deep breath. “Okay. We have time.”  
She started trying to relax and calm down just as Betsy came back from one of the guest bedrooms, with Hayley in tow.  
“Mommy!” Hayley squealed.  
“Hi!” Hillary grinned, scooping her youngest daughter up and setting her on her lap.  
“Look, mama,” Hayley cooed, showing Hillary her freshly painted pale pink fingernails that Betsy had just painted for her. “Pretty fingers, mama.” She smiled sweetly at Hillary.  
“Yes, your nails are very pretty, sweetheart,” Hillary softly smiled down at her daughter.  
“You need to eat something, Hill,” Betsy pointed out, gesturing to the trays of sandwiches, fruits and vegetables that the bridesmaids had been snacking on for lunch.  
“I’m fine,” Hillary insisted. “I’m too nervous to eat," she added with a nervous chuckle.   
“Eat, mom,” Chelsea insisted, making a plate with a tuna sandwich and a couple pieces of fruit for her mother.  
“Hill, calm down,” Betsy tried. “Everything’s going to be okay.”  
“Why are you so nervous?” Chelsea asked her, putting Hillary’s lunch in front of her.  
“I don’t know!” Hillary exclaimed as she started applying her makeup. “Is everything going to come together today? I mean we only had four months to plan this wedding. What if my dress doesn’t fit?”  
“You just tried it on again last night,” Jessica pointed out, chuckling while Betsy grabbed the curling iron and started working on Hillary’s hair.  
“I can’t wait for the reception,” Chelsea said, as she started touching up her makeup.  
“Oh my God, I know,” Jessica agreed. “And I can drink! A little bit anyways.”  
“I can’t,” Hillary harshly sighed. Not like she would ever put her baby in danger like that but a glass of wine sure would be nice right about now to take the edge off, she thought.   
“Don’t worry, mom. Neither can I,” Chelsea playfully nudged her mother.  
That elicited a chuckle from Hillary as she finally started to relax. “I would hope not. But I think you can have a _small_ sip of champagne today seeing as its a special occasion.”  
“Awesome!” Chelsea grinned just as Sophia started wailing.  
“Ugh, I _just_ fed you. You cannot be hungry again,” Jessica groaned, scooping her daughter up from her bassinet as she realized that Sophia needed a new diaper.   
“I’m going to go change into my dress and change her diaper. Be right back," Jessica said.   
Hillary nodded.  
“Do you want an updo?” Betsy asked Hillary.   
“Yes, please,” Hillary nodded.  
Betsy nodded and continued working on Hillary’s hairstyle. 

Jessica came back a few minutes later in her pale pink grecian style empire waist bridesmaids dress that was slightly different than the other similar style of pale pink bridesmaids dresses that Chelsea, Betsy and Melissa were wearing due to the fact that Jessica was the Maid of Honor.  
“Jessie!” Hayley squealed as Jessica put a now sleeping Sophia back down in her bassinet.  
“Hi, honey,” Jessica smiled at her baby sister.  
“Up?” Hayley asked.  
Jessica nodded and scooped her sister up and off of Hillary’s lap.  
“Baby?” Hayley asked, pointing at Sophia.  
“Sophie’s taking a nap right now,” Jessica explained.  
“Oh, okay,” Hayley nodded. “Love, baby.”  
Jessica softly smiled at her little sister and gently chuckled. "I love baby Sophie, too."   
Hayley happily babbled away and pointed at her light pink flower girl dress which was hanging up over the front of the door to Hillary’s walk-in closet. “Pretty dress now?”  
“You can put that on later, baby girl,” Hillary explained as Betsy finished up with her hair and Melissa started working on Hillary’s makeup.  
“No! Now!” Hayley huffed, scrunching her little face up.  
Hillary chuckled at her before she peeked out the window to see how the wedding preparations for the ceremony and reception were going outside in the backyard. Four months was definitely not a lot of time to plan such an extravagant wedding but between Scott, Dorothy and a very experienced and incredibly helpful wedding coordinator, they had managed to pull everything together in the short time frame.  
Hillary smiled to herself when she realized everything seemed to be coming right along outside in the backyard. “It looks great,” she commented.  
“You’re not supposed to look, mom,” Chelsea lightly chided. “It’s supposed to be a surprise. Scott and Grandma have everything under control.”  
“I know, sorry, sorry,” Hillary conceded as she pulled the bedroom curtain closed again and let Melissa continue with doing her makeup. She was finally starting to relax and was getting excited about the big day.  
“You need to start getting dressed soon, Hill,” Melissa pointed out, as she finished up with Hillary’s makeup.  
Hillary nodded and nervously sighed. Now that she had her hair in an updo and her makeup was nearly finished, everything was starting to feel more _real_. She couldn’t believe that in less than two hours, she would be Hillary Graham. All that she had left to do was to put on her dress. She looked down at her slightly protruding stomach and patted her belly.  
“Hi, Natalie,” she cooed. “Mommy’s sorry she’s so nervous,” She chuckled.  
“Aww,” Melissa smiled at Hillary. “You are adorable, Hill.”  
Hillary softly smiled. “I really thought it was going to be a boy this time.” She chuckled and shrugged. “Oh, well. Scott’s excited. As am I.”  
By now, Betsy had gone into Hillary’s walk-in closet and come back with Hillary’s wedding dress.  
“It’s so beautiful!” Melissa gasped as Betsy unzipped it and started taking it out of its garment bag, seeing as it was Melissa's first time seeing the dress in person and not just in photographs.   
“It is gorgeous,” Hillary agreed, grinning. She felt a little ridiculous going full bride complete with a poofy wedding dress at her age for her second wedding but she figured, why not go all out if you were already having a big wedding?  
Betsy started helping her into her dress while Melissa quickly pulled Jessica’s hair into a half up, half down hairdo.  
“Oh, God, I’m not ready,” Hillary nervously sighed.  
“We still have some time, mom,” Chelsea assured her mother while helping Hillary put her veil on.  
“I’m so nervous,” Hillary admitted.  
“Well, you look absolutely _beautiful_ , mom,” Jessica said, getting a little misty eyed.  
“Thank you,” Hillary smiled at her daughters. “So do you girls.”  
“I’ll get Hayley dressed,” Chelsea offered.  
Hillary shook her head. “You need to change into your own dress first. I can get Hayley ready.”  
Chelsea nodded before she grabbed her dress and walked down the hallway to her bedroom to go get changed.  
“Ohh, pretty dress!” Hayley cooed when Jessica grabbed Hayley’s dress from where it had been hanging and passed it to Hillary.  
“Yeah!” Hillary grinned as she quickly helped Hayley change out of her play clothes and into her flower girl dress. “Oh, you are going to be _so_ gorgeous, baby girl!"   
  


* * * * * *

“Is everybody ready?” Hillary asked, once Chelsea was back and Hayley was ready to go. She nervously glanced up at the clock hanging on the bedroom wall.   
Everybody nodded now that Hillary and all the bridesmaids were finally dressed and ready to go with their hair and makeup finished.   
“Let me just touch up my makeup,” Hillary said.  
The bridal party nodded and followed suit in doing any last minute makeup touch ups they still needed to do.   
“You look absolutely gorgeous, mom,” Chelsea said, smiling widely.   
“Thank you, baby,” Hillary smiled. “So do you. You _all_ look beautiful.”  
Jessica scoffed, feeling somewhat insecure from the few extra pounds of baby weight that she was still carrying.  
“Oh, hush,” Hillary said. “You look amazing, honey.” She finished up her makeup and grabbed her bouquet. “Is that everything?” Hillary asked as the rest of the bridesmaids picked up their bouquets. They all nodded.  
“Perfect,” Hillary said as she and the bridal party got ready to go downstairs and out into the backyard for the ceremony.  
“Pool?” Hayley suddenly asked, tilting her head to the side.  
“We can’t go swimming right now, sweetheart,” Jessica chuckled, scooping Sophia up while Betsy picked up Hayley and gently rested Hayley against her hip.  
“Okay, we should head out,” Hillary nervously sighed, seeing that everything seemed to be in order.  
  


“Pool!” Hayley squealed again once they were downstairs and assembling in the living room to get ready to go outside and walk down the aisle. Hayley frantically pointed outside through the floor to ceiling windows in the direction of the swimming pool, where some guests who hadn’t taken their seats yet were still drinking pre-ceremony cocktails and mingling.  
“You have to be a flower girl for mommy first, sweetie,” Hillary chuckled. “Jessie will take you swimming tomorrow. Okay?”  
“Oh...okay,” Hayley sweetly nodded.  
“Is everybody ready?” Betsy asked, finding Hayley’s flower girl basket.  
“Just let me go drop off Sophia with Grandma,” Jessica said.  
Hillary nodded and watched as Jessica dashed off to find Dorothy’s seat.  
“You look _stunning_ , Hillary,” Betsy complimented with a proud smile. “Absolutely stunning.”  
Hillary’s dress was a white strapless gown that had a beaded bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The dress flared out at the waist, slightly accentuating Hillary’s tiny baby bump, and had plenty of white poofy lace and tulle in the skirt.  
Hillary blushed. “Thank you, Bets. So do you. You all look beautiful."   
Jessica came back in record time. “Okay, Grandma’s got Sophia and she's settled so I think we’re all set.”  
Hillary nodded as they heard the music for the wedding processional start to play off in the distance. She nervously sucked in her breath and took a nice long and slow deep breath out.   
“Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go.” 

* * * * * 

Later that evening, holding the train of her dress up and off the floor with her left hand, Hillary pushed her way through the sea of people on the dancefloor (mostly friends and clients of Scott’s who she didn’t even really know all that well), accepting their congratulations and well wishes along the way, she made her way over to where Scott was chatting with one of his groomsmen by one of the makeshift bar areas that was set up around the perimeter of the dance floor. Dinner service had ended an hour or so prior and the reception was _well_ underway. The dance floor was packed with people drinking, dancing, and enjoying themselves.  
“Oh, there’s my _wife_ ,” Scott grinned, seeing Hillary approaching.  
“Hi!” Hillary grinned in return as she let Scott spin her around. Scott’s friend excused himself, giving the newlyweds a moment to themselves.  
“God, you look _so_ gorgeous,” Scott said as he leaned in and hugged his new wife. He had been complimenting her all afternoon and evening, ever since they had said their vows. “I’d been waiting for this day for too long.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary smiled up at her new husband.  
“Just wait until tonight,” Scott winked at her, taking a sip of his beer.  
Hillary giggled. “Well I _cannot_ wait for tonight.”  
“Me, too,” Scott smirked. “You’re really going to enjoy having sex on a plane. Trust me.”  
“I bet,” Hillary smirked, really looking forward to their mini-honeymoon getaway to Miami which they were leaving for on a private jet later that night after the reception wound down.  
Scott leaned over and kissed Hillary’s cheek when they noticed Jessica dancing with a guy on the dance floor.  
“Aww,” Hillary smiled to herself, happy to see that Jessica had met someone.  
“Oh, that’s my friend’s son,” Scott realized. “He’s a good kid, don’t worry. He goes to Harvard Business School.”  
Hillary nodded and ordered a sparkling water from the bar.  
“I’ve been telling him about Jessica for ages,” Scott chuckled before he ordered another beer. “They’d be perfect for each other.”  
“Well Jess can get any boy she wants,” Hillary chuckled and shook her head when she realized her daughter was shamelessly flirting with the boy. “If she wants him, that is,” she added with a laugh when she noticed Jessica had politely excused herself and was heading towards the second bar area on the other side of the dance floor.  
  


A few minutes later Scott got pulled away from Hillary by one of his uncle’s while Chelsea made her way over to Hillary.  
“Hi,” Hillary greeted her, taking a sip of her water.  
“Hey!,” Chelsea smiled at her mom before she ordered a diet coke from the bar. She looked over at Hillary and stared softly at her. “I’m really glad you’re happy again, mom.”  
“Me, too, sweetie,” Hillary smiled to herself. “You’re happy, too, right?” she checked.  
Chelsea shrugged. “Sure. Scott’s nice to us. He’s a good stepdad.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thanks for being nice to him. He really cares about us.”  
Chelsea nodded in agreement and grabbed her drink from the bartender. “Do you want to go dance?” she asked her mother.  
Hillary shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”  
Chelsea grinned and grabbed Hillary’s hand. She led her mother out onto the dance floor as _Love Shack_ by The B-52’s started playing.  
“Are you sure you’re okay with all of this?” Hillary checked as they started swaying to the music. “I know everything's happened really fast, sweetheart.”  
Chelsea shrugged. “I’m dealing with it.” Plus she would be off to college in California in less than two weeks time.   
Hillary nodded. “Scott’s a good guy. I wouldn’t be with him or having his baby if he didn’t care about us.”  
“I know, mom,” Chelsea assured her mother. She shrugged again. “It’s just kind of strange is all. Plus Dad is with his new girlfriend or fiancee or whatever she is. Things are just different right now is all. I just have to get used to this new normal.”  
Hillary nodded. “I’m sorry,” she sincerely apologized.  
“Hey, don’t be sorry,” Chelsea assured her mother with a smile. “It’s not your fault. And I am _really_ glad you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”  
Hillary nodded again.  
“Besides,” Chelsea gave her mother a conspiratorial grin. “I could _really_ get used to having a millionaire stepdad,” she smirked, eliciting a loud laugh from Hillary. 

* * * * *

Hillary yawned as she zipped her suitcase closed. The wedding reception had finally wound down and the last of the wedding guests had left around one in the morning. It was the wee hours of the morning and Hillary and Scott still had some last minute packing to finish before they could leave for their mini honeymoon getaway. Between Sophia’s birth, Jessica’s birthday, moving into their new house, work, and having to get Chelsea moved and off to college in a few short weeks, they had realized they wouldn’t have the time to take a proper honeymoon so they had decided to go to Miami for a few days of post wedding rest and relaxation before taking an actual proper honeymoon somewhere the following summer.  
Hillary had changed out of her wedding dress and into a pair of dark black yoga pants, a light brown camisole and a cream coloured cardigan for the flight. She had washed off her makeup and taken her hair out of its updo, pulling it back into a sleek high ponytail instead.  
“Tired?” Scott asked Hillary chuckling when he noticed her yawning.  
Hillary laughed and nodded. “Its been a _long_ day. And I can’t even drink coffee.” She groaned.  
“Well, we can rest on the plane,” Scott reminded her. “And I’ll make you a cup of tea on the plane.”  
Hillary nodded.  
Scott leaned over and kissed her head. “Now come on. Miami is waiting for us.” He zipped up his own suitcase and left the bedroom.  
Hillary smiled to herself. Grabbing her luggage, she followed him downstairs.  
“Aww, you’re leaving already?” Chelsea asked from where she was seated on the living room couch, seeing her mom and stepdad coming downstairs with their luggage. Even though it was past two a.m. and it had been a long day for everyone, Jessica and Chelsea were staying up to see their mom and new stepfather off. Hillary had already said her goodbyes to Sophia and Hayley before they had gone to sleep.  
Scott nodded and brought his suitcase to the front door. “Yep.”  
“Come and give me a hug goodbye, girls,” Hillary said, also bringing her bags over to the front door.  
Chelsea and Jessica nodded, getting up from the couch to go say goodbye to their mom and stepdad.  
“I love you, girls,” Hillary said, giving Jessica a big hug. “Thank you for all of your help with the wedding today and over the past few weeks.”  
“It was no problem, mama,” Jessica smiled and pulled away so that Hillary could hug Chelsea.  
“Hold down the fort while we’re gone,” Hillary said, embracing Chelsea.  
“We will,” Chelsea chuckled. “Have fun, you guys. We love you.”  
“Love you, too,” Hillary said, smiling at her daughters. “There’s an envelope with cash in it on the kitchen counter for groceries or if you want to order takeout.” She turned to Jessica. “And you’ll take Chelsea to Bed, Bath and, Beyond to get whatever she still needs for her dorm room?”  
Jessica chuckled. “Yes, Mom.”  
Hillary nodded in relief. “And don’t forget the —”  
“The drawer liners. I know, Mom,” Jessica laughed, remembering how fussy her mom had been when Jessica was moving into her dorm room four years prior.  
Hillary nodded again.  
“See you girls in a few days,” Scott said, handing Jessica his car keys. “I’m leaving you these.”  
“Awesome!” Jessica squealed, thrilled at the prospect of being able to drive a luxurious Mercedes SUV for a week.  
“Treat her well. She’s my baby,” Scott jokingly warned.  
Jessica chuckled. “I will. Don’t worry.”  
“Love you,” Hillary said to the girls one more time.  
“We love you, too,” Jessica softly smiled.  
“No parties!” Hillary jokingly warned with a chuckle as her and Scott grabbed their luggage and started heading out the door.  
Jessica and Chelsea waved goodbye as they watched their mom and stepdad walk down the roundabout driveway and get into the waiting black Lincoln town car that Scott had ordered to take them to the airplane hangar where they would board the private jet that one of Scott’s former clients turned friend was letting them borrow for their trips to and from Miami.  
“Oh, I’m so tired,” Hillary chuckled as she yawned again after they had gotten into the backseat of the car together while the driver put their luggage in the trunk.   
“Yeah, we had a long day,” Scott agreed, nodding.  
“A _really_ long day,” Hillary said with a chuckle.   
“Well, we can sleep on the plane,” Scott suggested, reaching over for Hillary’s hand and squeezing it.  
Hillary giggled. “I was planning on having _sex_ on the plane,” she said in a seductive whisper.  
“Well, we can do that, too,” Scott smirked.  
I’ve been wanting to rip your clothes off of you ever since I walked down that aisle,” Hillary admitted, smirking.  
Scott chuckled. “Soon, baby. Soon,” he assured Hillary, letting go of her hand and stroking her long blonde ponytail instead.   
Hillary weakly smiled to herself just as she heard her phone buzz with a text message notification. She dug her Blackberry out of her purse and checked it. When she saw that it was from Bill, she quickly turned the display screen off before Scott could see and dropped her phone back in her purse. She had slowly started texting and emailing Bill again to talk about things other than the kids and custody arrangements but she was going to have to read his latest message at a later time, when Scott wasn’t around.  
“Who was that from?” Scott asked curiously.  
“Oh, just an old friend from Arkansas,” Hillary lied. “My friend, Diane. Just texting to congratulate us,” she smiled at Scott, hoping he wouldn’t see through her lies.  
Scott nodded obliviously. “That’s nice, honey.”  
Hillary kept her forced smiled on her face and nodded.  
Scott leaned over and kissed her head. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Hillary replied, her smile turning into a genuine one. “I really do.”  
She reached over and squeezed his hand.  
  


* * * * *

“ _Wow,_ this is _nice_ ,” Hillary complimented, after they had boarded their plane, as she took in the luxurious white leather seating. She couldn’t believe they had the whole plane to themselves, complete with a couch, a mini kitchenette and a double bed. She had flown on private planes a few times before while she was the First Lady of Arkansas but nothing as fancy and luxurious as this jet was.  
A bottle of sparkling apple cider on ice along with a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream had been left for the newlyweds, courtesy of Scott’s friend who owned the plane.  
“I can’t believe we have this all to ourselves,” Hillary remarked while Scott opened up the sparkling cider.  
“Well, believe it,” Scott smirked, pouring them each a glass of sparkling cider into two champagne flutes.  
“Do you want anything else to drink?” he asked Hillary, gesturing to the plane’s mini fridge. “Sparkling water? Ginger ale?”  
“Yeah, sparkling water sounds good,” Hillary nodded. “You can have a drink if you want, sweetie. You don’t have to abstain because of me.”  
“Are you sure? I don’t mind sticking with water, sweetie,” Scott assured Hillary.  
“Go ahead,” Hillary gave Scott a knowing smile.   
Scott sheepishly smiled. “Thanks,” he said before he opened up the plane’s mini fridge. He grabbed a mini bottle of sparkling water for Hillary and grabbed a beer for himself. “Are you hungry?” he asked Hillary, seeing that there were a few varieties of different sandwiches in the fridge as well.  
“ _Ugh_ , yes. _Starving_ ,” Hillary said. The last thing she had eaten, besides a bite of wedding cake, was dinner which had been _hours_ ago.  
Scott chuckled and grabbed steak sandwiches for the both of them. “You’re so funny,” he said as he popped the sandwiches into the microwave.  
“Why?” Hillary asked him with a soft smile. “All I did was answer your question." She chuckled.   
Scott shrugged. “You just are. I’m _really_ glad that we’re together, Hillary.”  
She smiled at him in response.  
“But seriously,” Scott said. “This is still all so _surreal_ to me. When we first met in law school I wanted you so badly but I had a girlfriend. I never thought in a million years that this day would come. Not even in my wildest dreams.”  
Hillary stood up from her seat and walked over to him. “Yeah. This is so great,” she agreed as she hugged him from behind.   
“We’re going to be so happy together, Hillary. I know it,” Scott said, squeezing her hands.  
“I sure hope so.” Hillary smiled to herself.  
“I can’t believe you’re my wife.” Scott grinned before he leaned in and softly kissed Hillary. “I’m so happy,” he added, smiling broadly right as the microwave dinged.  
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Hillary said as Scott passed her her plate.  
“I really never thought this day would come,” Scott repeated as him and Hillary brought their food and drinks over to their seats.  
Hillary laughed. “You didn’t think I’d marry you?”  
Scott shook his head. “No, not that necessarily. I just thought we would never find each other again after we lost touch. You were with Bill."   
“Well, I’m _so_ glad we found each other again,” Hillary smiled at him.  
She was still smiling to herself a few minutes later after the pilot had made his announcement to prepare for takeoff. She hadn’t been this happy in a long, _long_ time. However, despite the feelings of overwhelming joy that she was currently experiencing, her emotions were mixed and conflicting with one another. As the plane took off up into the sky and she stared down at the new gold wedding band that now adorned her left hand, she realized that something in her gut didn’t feel _quite_ right. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life by marrying Scott? 

To Be Continued... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Hillary you made a big mistake hahahaha. I can't wait for you guys to see how everything plays out from this point forward. Thanks so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! This story is very special to me so it is MUCH appreciated! As always, hope everyone is doing well and that you all have a nice rest of your week :)


	12. Miami

“Wow, this is amazing!”   
Hillary gasped in surprise as they walked into the hotel suite they would be staying in in Miami for the next several days. Scott had booked the penthouse suite for them. While Scott tipped the bellhop who was unloading their luggage, Hillary walked over to the floor to ceiling windows and took in the view of the beautiful beach and the hotel’s luxurious and relaxing looking outdoor swimming pool. Scott grinned at Hillary’s reaction to the hotel room before he pulled her over to the soft and lavish looking king size bed. Their exhaustion had won out in the end and they had both ended up sleeping on the flight rather than partaking in...other activities. They had some catching up to do.   
Hillary giggled as Scott pushed her down on the bed and climbed on top of her. She moaned as he leaned down and gave her a firm and passionate kiss. He moved his way down and started lightly kissing Hillary’s neck which elicited another moan of pleasure from her. As Hillary shrugged out of her cardigan and Scott pulled up her camisole, he started kissing up her stomach, then up her breasts after Hillary had pulled her camisole off.   
Hillary started pulling down her yoga pants while Scott quickly got undressed.   
“I love you so much,” Scott grinned down at his wife before he leaned down and passionately kissed Hillary again.   
“I...love...you...too,” Hillary moaned out in between kisses. She gasped in pleasure and surprise when Scott pulled her legs apart and slowly entered her.   
Hillary loudly moaned as Scott started slowly thrusting inside of her.   
“Oh, yeah,” Scott growled. “Fuck.”   
“Scott,” Hillary panted out. “Oh my God. That feels _so_ good. Don’t stop.”   
Scott obeyed before he got an idea and pulled out of her. Hillary gave him a quizzical and confused look before Scott started slowly rubbing her clit.   
“Aghhhh,” Hillary cried out in ecstasy. “I’m gonna come,” she breathed out.   
“Already?” Scott asked, surprised.   
Hillary nodded. “ _Fuck_ ,” she moaned out as she felt her orgasm coming on. She writhed around a bit right before Scott entered her again and started thrusting.   
“God,” Scott moaned as he felt his erection.   
He leaned down to kiss Hillary as they came together.   
“God, I love you,” Hillary smiled at Scott as he collapsed on the bed beside her.   
“Well, I love you more,” Scott grinned over at her. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips.   
Hillary sighed after he pulled away. “Scott, can I ask you something?”   
“Anything,” Scott nodded, noticing the concerned look in Hillary’s eyes.   
“We didn’t just get married because I’m pregnant, did we?” Hillary asked him, a hint of sheepishness and nervousness in her voice.   
“What?” Scott said, looking slightly taken aback. “No. Of course not.”   
Hillary swallowed and nodded. She forced a smile and nodded again, more to reassure herself than to reassure Scott. “Yeah. You’re right.”   
“Of course I’m right,” Scott teased, reaching over to tuck a stray lock of Hillary’s hair behind her ear.   
“I wish we could have been together before now,” Hillary said, softly smiling at him, trying to appease him.   
“Yeah, me, too,” Scott nodded in agreement. “I wish that, too. We could have started a family together.”   
“Well, at least we’re doing it now,” Hillary pointed out.   
Scott nodded. “You know what I mean, though.”   
Hillary nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.” She sighed.   
“It’s okay,” Scott assured her. He leaned over and gently kissed her again. Fate had brought them back together again. Better late than never, was Scott’s thinking.   
Hillary smiled over at Scott after he pulled away from the kiss. “I love you.”   
“I love you, too,” Scott softly smiled back at her, absolutely in awe of her beauty. He reached over and rubbed her pregnant stomach.   
“This is so great,” Hillary grinned, nuzzling her head into Scott’s neck, letting the endorphins from the sex they had just had course through her.   
Scott leaned over and kissed the top of Hillary’s head. “You want to take a shower?”   
“Of course,” Hillary smiled up at him.   
Scott grinned. “Follow me.”   
  


* * * * *

Scott started passionately kissing Hillary after they had gotten into the luxurious shower together.   
“I’m _so glad_ we’re married,” Scott said.   
“Me, too,” Hillary grinned. She suddenly moaned in pleasure as Scott started kissing her neck. “That feels so good, Scott,” she moaned out.   
“Good,” Scott said as he gently ran his hands up and down her sides, knowing where all of Hillary’s most sensitive spots were.   
Hillary shivered with pleasure, as the hot water ran down her back.   
Scott soon knelt down in front of her and began licking her clit.   
“Oh, God,” Hillary panted out. She leaned against the wall of the shower for support, feeling weak in the knees. “Don’t stop,” she begged.   
“Come for me, baby,” Scott growled out.   
“Oh, shit,” Hillary sucked in her breath. “Oh my God. I’m gonna come any minute.”   
Scott started moving his tongue faster, as he sucked on her clit, enjoying the taste of her.   
“ _Scott_ ,” Hillary moaned out with a gasp as she started coming. “Fuck!”   
She shuddered in pleasure, finally feeling her climax.   
Scott grinned up at her as he stood back up to his full height.   
“You’re so perfect,” he said to her, pulling her in for a hug.   
“Well, so are you,” Hillary softly smiled at him before she leaned in for a passionate and deep kiss.   
When Scott pulled away from the kiss, he suddenly notice Hillary wince.   
“You okay, Hill?” he asked.   
“My stomach hurts,” Hillary winced again.   
Scott gave her a concerned look.   
“Ouch!” she cried out, clutching her baby bump.   
“Hillary,” Scott said in a worried tone of voice as he turned the shower off.   
“I think I just need to lay down,” Hillary shrugged, as she accepted the towel that Scott had passed to her.   
“I’m going to call your OB,” Scott nervously said as he wrapped a white fluffy towel around his waist.   
Hillary sighed. “Scott, no. I’m fine. I’m sure it’s nothing.” She wrapped her own fluffy white towel around her body. “Maybe I’ll try taking a bath,” she said, looking at the luxurious spa bathtub in the bathroom. “Sometimes that helps.”   
“Well, I want to stay with you,” Scott insisted.   
Hillary sighed again and turned on the bathtub water to run it. “Fine. Do you want to join me?”   
Scott nodded. “Of course. But I still think I should call your OB.”   
“Scott, no. It’s fine,” Hillary waved him off. “It’s probably just all the stress from yesterday catching up with me. Or maybe that sandwich I ate on the plane gave me indigestion.” She shrugged.   
“No, you know what. I’m calling Dr. Vega.” Scott shook his head and left the bathroom. He walked over to where his pants had been discarded earlier and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.   
“Fine,” Hillary relented, following her husband back into the bedroom. She sighed. “You call Dr. Vega while I take a bath.”   
Scott nodded, figuring that was a fair compromise. “Hillary, it’s just...I know you’ve been through this before but it’s my first baby. I just want to make sure.”   
Hillary nodded, completely agreeing, seeing and knowing where Scott was coming from. “No, no. I get it. You call the doctor and I’ll be in the bathroom.”   
Scott nodded and started looking for the number to Hillary’s obstetrician's office in his phone’s list of contacts.   
Hillary turned around and headed back towards the bathroom, wincing in pain again and clutching her stomach as she did so. 

* * * * *

A few minutes later, after getting off the phone with Hillary’s doctor, Scott was getting dressed as the doctor had instructed him to bring Hillary to the nearest hospital to get checked out, just in case.   
Hillary suddenly came out of the bathroom wrapped up in a comfortable looking fluffy white hotel robe with her damp hair pulled back into a bun.   
“Scott?” Hillary said nervously with a shaky voice.   
Scott looked over at her, the worry and fear evident in her eyes and sketched all across her face, her brow furrowed.   
“Scott." Her voice cracked with emotion. "Scott, I’m...bleeding.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :/ Things are about to take an angsty turn... 
> 
> I think this will be the shortest chapter ever of this story but that seemed like a good place to leave things off for now. I'm sorry in advance haha. I will try to update in a few days to not leave you all hanging for too long. But also, some life changes are coming for me (more on that later when I have more details) so updates might slow down compared to how frequent they've been. But I was able to crank out a bunch of pre-written chapters the last couple of days and weeks so we should be good with updates for the next little while at least. And at the very least, I'll aim to update this at least once a week because I am still very passionate about this story and am absolutely loving working on it, as well as your reactions to it :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope everybody enjoys the rest of their weekend, and long weekend if you're a fellow Canadian :)


	13. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger/Content Warning for miscarriage.

Luckily Scott had rented a car for their Miami trip so they didn’t have to waste precious time waiting for a taxi. After getting directions from the hotel’s concierge to the nearest hospital, Scott rushed Hillary to the hospital as quickly as possible. 

But it was too late. 

An ultrasound confirmed that there was no heartbeat and that Hillary was having a miscarriage.  
  


“No, there has to be something you can do!” Scott exclaimed, almost on the verge of tears.  
“Scott…” Hillary whispered quietly, also starting to tear up.  
“She was in her second trimester!” Scott argued with the ER Resident who had examined Hillary.  
“Sometimes these things happen, honey,” Hillary said quietly. She had been mentally preparing for this to happen, given her age but that didn’t make it hurt any less. They thought they were in the clear since Hillary was almost six months along.  
“I am so sorry for your loss,” the young thirtysomething doctor whose ID Badge read ‘Dr. John Miller’ solemnly said. “Now I’m going to page OB and send you upstairs for a dilation and curettage procedure, if that’s okay with you, Mrs. Graham. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few hours afterwards for observation. Possibly overnight. ”  
Hillary just nodded, still in shock over the news that she had miscarried.  
“This can’t be happening,” Scott angrily shook his head.  
“Honey, we can try again,” Hillary said quietly, trying to calm him down.  
“Well, can I at least go with her when she gets the procedure?” Scott huffed.  
Dr. Miller sadly shook his head. “But there’s a waiting area on the OB floor where you can wait.”  
“I’ll be fine, honey,” Hillary squeezed his hand, more to reassure herself than to reassure him. “Call Jessica and Chelsea for me, please.”  
Scott nodded and took a shaky breath. “I love you,” he said, leaning down to gently kiss the top of Hillary’s head.

  
* * * * * 

Once Hillary had been taken away by the OB-GYN nurses for the procedure and Scott had found the waiting room, he sat down on a worn out looking brown leather couch and pulled out his cell phone. He sadly sighed and found Jessica’s cell phone number in his contacts.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi, Jessica,” Scott said, consciously trying to keep his breathing steady.  
“Oh, hey!” Jessica happily said.  
“How are you girls doing?” Scott checked.  
“We’re fine,” Jessica answered. “Hayley misses Mom a lot but she’ll be okay in a few hours I’m sure. What’s up? Are you guys poolside yet with virgin pina coladas?”  
“Um...well, no,” Scott answered, his voice catching slightly. “Listen, Jessica. I have some bad news.”  
“Oh?” Jessica sounded nervous and Scott could picture her frowning on the other end. “What is it? Is my mom okay?”  
“Your mom had a miscarriage.” Scott let out a harsh sigh.  
“Oh, God!” Jessica let out a loud gasp on the other end. “Is she okay?”  
“Um, I guess she’s as okay as she can be right now,” Scott nervously cleared his throat.  
“I’m so sorry,” Jessica sadly sighed. “Wow. Well, can I talk to her?”  
“Not right now,” Scott answered. “She’s getting a D & C procedure right now.”  
“Well, are you guys coming home now?” Jessica asked curiously.  
“Um, I don’t know,” Scott honestly answered. “I’d have to talk to your mother. I don’t know if she’s going to want to stay in Miami or not.”  
“Oh. Okay,” Jessica said. Scott was sure she had paused to swallow on the other end.  
“Should I tell her to call you later when she's up to it?” Scott asked.  
“Yes, please,” Jessica answered. She sadly sighed again. “I am so _so_ sorry, Scott.”  
Scott sadly sighed in return. “Thanks. It’s okay. I mean, we always knew this was a risk. Maybe we’ll try again some time.”  
“Okay,” Jessica replied. “ _Please_ take care of her.”  
“I will,” Scott affirmed. “Of course I will.”  
“Should I tell Chelsea?” Jessica asked.  
“Um, probably. Yeah, go ahead.” Scott got up and started nervously pacing around the waiting room, trying to get his nervous energy out of his system.  
“Okay,” Jessica said again.  
“I’ll talk to you later,” Scott said. “I’ll have your mom call you when she can.”  
“Please do,” Jessica repeated before they said their goodbyes and hung up. 

Scott tried to distract himself by checking his emails on his Blackberry and eventually a nurse came to talk to him.  
“How is she?” Scott asked, the fear and concern for Hillary evident in his eyes.  
“She’s okay. She was under general anesthesia for the procedure so she’s still sleeping. She’ll probably be pretty groggy when she wakes up,” The kind blond middle aged nurse explained to the worried husband in front of her.  
Scott nodded. “Well, can I see her?”   
The nurse nodded and led Scott to the room Hillary had been taken to.   
“Does she have to stay overnight?” Scott asked as he followed the nurse down the long and winding hospital corridors.  
“We’ll keep her here under observation for a few hours and see how she’s doing then,” The nurse answered.  
Scott nodded as they arrived at Hillary’s room.  
She looked so tiny and fragile lying in a hospital bed, Scott thought to himself. He sat down in the chair beside her bed and gently squeezed her hand.  
After a few minutes, while Scott was gently stroking her hand with his thumb, Hillary started to stir and she slowly opened her eyes.  
“Hey,” Scott whispered, gently stroking her hair. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”  
“Sore,” Hillary groaned. “And groggy.”  
Scott sighed, as he saw tears pool in Hillary’s eyes as reality hit her upon waking up. “I’m so sorry that this happened, honey.” He got up from his chair and climbed into the hospital bed with Hillary, both of them barely fitting in it together as he gently cradled his wife.  
Hillary sighed and shrugged. “We knew this was a risk with my age. We can try again.” Truth be told, she didn’t really want to try again but she knew that Scott wanted a biological child of his own.  
Scott nodded and gently kissed Hillary’s cheek.  
“I want to go home,” Hillary suddenly said.  
“To Connecticut?” Scott checked.  
Hillary slightly shrugged. “Maybe.”  
Scott nodded.  
“Or, maybe we could stay here actually,” Hillary shrugged again. “I’m okay...I think. It might be nice to stay in Miami for the rest of the trip and just unwind. Lord knows, we need it.”  
Scott nodded again.  
“I mean, everything is already paid for,” Hillary shrugged again, always one to be practical as she tried to push her grief away. “And anyways, I was expecting this. Having a miscarriage I mean.”  
“You were?” Scott asked, taken aback. His brow furrowed in confusion.  
“Well...yeah,” Hillary admitted. She looked at Scott softly. “I’m almost fifty, honey. We heard the statistics. We knew there was a high probability of this happening. I mean, yes, I got my hopes up when I made it past the first trimester but I still had a feeling that something was going to go wrong.”  
Scott just frowned seeing as this was the first time Hillary had voiced any of these thoughts to him.  
Hillary sighed upon seeing the look on her husband’s face. “Maybe this is for the best due to my age. And maybe we can adopt a child instead.”  
“I want a baby of my own!” Scott firmly said, getting frustrated. “She was _our_ baby.” He shook his head before a thought dawned on him. “You didn’t want her,” he accused Hillary.  
“Of course I wanted her!” Hillary argued. “I loved her. _So_ much. But I’m old. I just didn’t want all the extra work that comes with caring for a newborn at my age. Especially with a new grandbaby and a two year old running around. I have enough on my plate as it is. I’d rather adopt an older child.”  
Scott frowned and looked down at his hands.  
“Don’t be mad at me,” Hillary sighed.  
“How am I _not_ supposed to be mad about that?” Scott angrily said. “You didn’t _want_ her. This isn’t even hard for you.” He shook his head in disgust.  
“Of course this is hard for me!” Hillary insisted. “You’re missing my point though. You don’t understand what I’m trying to say.”  
“And I don’t want to!” Scott angrily said before he crawled out of the bed and stormed out of the room.  
That was all it took and soon Hillary’s body was wracked with sobs. She curled up into a ball and rolled over onto her side, sobbing into the starchy white hospital pillow. Both over the loss of her baby and the extremely painful cramps in her stomach but also over how her husband had just treated her.  
  


* * * * *

When a nurse came to check her vitals a short while later, Hillary’s sobbing had subsided but she was still laying in bed curled up on her side, tears slowly rolling down her face as she stared into space.  
“When can I go home?” she asked the nurse in a croak-y voice.  
“Not for a few more hours at least.” The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile.  
Hillary sadly sighed. “Well, can you go find my husband?”  
The nurse nodded as she made some notes on Hillary’s chart. “Sure.”  
“Thank you.” Hillary nodded.  
The nurse nodded again and finished her examination, leaving Hillary’s chart at the end of her bed.   
“Wait!” Hillary suddenly cried out just as the nurse had turned to leave the room.  
“Yes?” The nurse said, turning around.  
“Can this phone call long distance?” Hillary asked, gesturing to the landline phone on the nightstand beside her bed. Her purse—which had her cell phone in it—was sitting on a chair on the other side of the room and there was only one person whose voice she wanted to hear. She knew it went against her better judgement but she really needed to hear _his_ voice right that second.  
“Sure,” The nurse nodded and shrugged. “Where do you want to call?”  
“Um, Fayetteville, Arkansas,” Hillary answered in a quiet voice.  
The nurse nodded and walked back over to Hillary’s bed. She picked up the receiver and handed it to Hillary. Hillary gave her the number for the nurse to dial as Hillary just hoped that he would answer. The nurse left the room to give Hillary some privacy.  
“Hello?” Bill answered after a few rings.  
“Hi,” Hillary said, nervously clearing her throat. “I’m sorry, it's early. I woke you up, didn’t I?”  
“Hillary?” Bill said, sounding confused. “It’s okay. I was awake. My Introduction to Criminal Law lecture is at ten so I was getting ready for class.”  
Hillary nodded to herself, remembering that Bill had taken a job teaching law school classes at the University of Arkansas.  
“Are you okay?” Bill asked, a worried tone to his voice.  
“No,” Hillary quietly said. She teared up again.   
Bill sadly sighed. “I know. I just talked to Chelsea. I am _so_ sorry, Hillary. I really am.” The sincerity was clear in his voice.  
“I, um...I need you,” Hillary admitted as she nervously swallowed and held the phone’s receiver tightly in her hand.  
Bill sighed again. “You got remarried less than twenty-four hours ago, Hillary.”  
“I know but...um...Scott left and..you know what...just...never mind,” Hillary nervously stammered out before she quickly hung up the phone.  
 _What was I thinking?_ She thought which set off another round of sobbing as she fell back against the bed.  
 _I’m so stupid_ she thought to herself as she cried. _I’m a married woman for God’s Sake._  
Bill was right. They were divorced and she had _just_ gotten remarried, literally hours ago.  
Which is why she frowned when the phone started ringing a few minutes later.  
Hillary frowned and picked it up. “Hello?”  
“Hillary?”  
Bill had called the hospital back and gotten connected to her room.  
“Hi,” Hillary nervously said.  
“I’m sorry about before,” Bill apologized. “What do you need?”  
“I just need to talk to someone,” Hillary explained.  
“Okay, I can do that,” Bill assured her. “I’m really sorry about the baby.”  
“Yeah, me, too,” Hillary sadly sighed. “Scott thinks I _wanted_ it to happen.” She shook her head even though she knew Bill couldn’t see her. “And I hate myself. Because maybe I did. _Just a little_.” Her voice cracked with emotion as she teared up again.  
“Hillary,” Bill said. “Hillary, listen to me. There is a big difference between being scared about having another baby, especially at our age, and actually wishing for a miscarriage. I know you well enough to know that deep down you could never want or wish for that to happen.”  
“I loved her,” Hillary shakily whispered.  
“I know you did,” Bill said softly.  
Hillary sighed, Bill’s words and tone of voice bringing up all kinds of emotions for her. “This is bad,” she said. “This is _bad_. We’ve both moved on. I shouldn’t be talking to you right now. What was I thinking?”  
“I’ll always be here for you, Hillary,” Bill assured her. “There’s nothing wrong with us being friends and talking.”  
“Except you cheated on me,” Hillary argued. “You’re engaged to the woman you cheated with.”  
“And out of all the mistakes I made, _that_ was absolutely the worst mistake I ever made,” Bill said, sounding remorseful.  
“Well, you’re obviously in love with her,” Hillary argued. “I mean, you proposed to her.”  
“I never said I didn’t love Alexis,” Bill said softly.  
Hillary sighed. “Exactly. And I love Scott. You and I are divorced for a reason, Bill.”  
“I know that,” Bill said. “But that doesn’t mean that I can’t have regrets about the past. And it doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends.”  
“Well, I can’t _just_ be friends with you, Bill,” Hillary finally admitted.  
“And, why not?” Bill asked.  
“Because I don’t know how to _just_ be your friend,” Hillary frantically whispered.  
“Well, can we at least try?” Bill asked.  
“Maybe,” Hillary sighed as she saw Scott come back into her room. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later,” she said before she abruptly hung up.  
Scott climbed into the bed with her and spooned her body without saying anything.  
“Do you hate me?” Hillary nervously asked as she slightly tensed up at his touch.  
“No,” Scott shook his head. “Of course not.”  
“I loved her, you know?” Hillary said, relaxing slightly at her husband’s answer.  
“I know,” Scott assured her. “I’m sorry I stormed out like that. I just needed to clear my head.”  
Hillary nodded.  
Scott gently stroked Hillary’s hair. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Let’s just take a nap.”  
Hillary nodded and closed her eyes. A nap sounded good.   
“I love you,” Scott murmured into her ear.  
Hillary ignored him and pretended to be asleep. But she couldn’t stop the tears from coming. She silently wept, trying to hide her crying from Scott.  
“I’m sorry, honey,” Scott sighed, seeing her shoulders shake with quiet sobs. “I really didn’t mean to get so angry.”  
Hillary just nodded. “Let’s just sleep.”  
“Who were you on the phone with before?” Scott asked curiously.  
“Jess,” Hillary lied.  
“Right,” Scott nodded, as he tightly squeezed Hillary. “I was supposed to tell you to call her.”  
Hillary nodded. “Well, I called her,” she lied.  
Scott kissed her cheek. “Good. Now get some rest.”  
Hillary nodded and closed her eyes, giving in to her body's exhaustion as she quickly drifted off to sleep.  
  


* * * * * 

When she woke up a few hours later, she could smell the scent of fresh coffee.  
“Hey,” Scott softly said, seeing that Hillary had woken up. “I got us coffee. Don’t worry, its not from the cafeteria. I found a Starbucks across the street.”  
Hillary weakly smiled. “Thanks.”  
“And I got us chocolate chip cookies,” Scott added, holding up a small brown paper bag. “I figured we needed some comfort food.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly.  
“How are you doing?” Scott asked, gently stroking Hillary’s cheek.  
She shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess.”  
Scott sadly nodded and sighed. “We’ll try again.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement before she took a sip of her coffee. She frowned. “Is there cream in this?”  
Scott frowned and shook his head.  
“Yes, there is,” Hillary frowned again as she took another sip.  
“Damn it!” Scott shouted. “I’m sorry, honey. I must have been distracted and put cream in yours by mistake.”  
“It’s fine, sweetheart,” Hillary reassured him. “I’ll drink it.”  
“No, you like your coffee black,” Scott harshly sighed. “Let me go get you another one.”  
“You don’t have to,” Hillary insisted.  
“No, I will,” Scott said, squeezing her hand.  
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”  
“Of course,” Scott said, pecking Hillary’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”  
And right on cue, the landline phone next to Hillary’s bed rang as soon as Scott left the room.  
“Hello?” Hillary answered.  
“Hey,” Bill’s southern drawl came over the other end. “How are you feeling, Hill?”  
“I’m okay,” Hillary answered. “How are you?”  
Bill sighed. “I miss the kids.”  
“Yeah,” Hillary also sighed. “Me, too.”  
“Being divorced isn’t what its cracked up to be,” Bill sighed again.  
“Nope,” Hillary agreed. She cleared her throat. “But I’ve moved on, Bill. We can’t do this. I love Scott and you have Alexis.”  
“Well, we can’t be friends?” Bill asked in an earnest and sincere tone of voice.  
“I’m in Connecticut and you’re in Arkansas. It won’t work,” Hillary insisted. “We can’t talk anymore. I have to go. Scott will be back any minute.”  
“Hillary, there’s this thing called airplanes that exist,” Bill cracked, slightly chuckling. “And phones and email.”  
“Don’t be a smartass, William!” Hillary snapped. “I love Scott, okay?” She nervously looked to see if Scott was coming back. “Now, I really have to go. Bye.”  
“Hillary, wait!” Bill tried.  
“You’re talking to Hillary?” Hillary heard a woman, who she presumed was Alexis, say in the background.  
She harshly sighed. “It’s okay, Bill. Go be with her. She’s your fiancee.” She hung up on Bill before he could say anything right as Scott came back to Hillary’s room.  
“Hey!” Hillary forced a smile.  
“Hi,” Scott said, pecking Hillary’s lips. “I was telling the barista about my mistake and she made you a vanilla latte instead.”  
“Oh, great,” Hillary nodded. “Thanks.” She leaned in and gave Scott a deep, passionate kiss. Or as deep as her stomach cramps would allow before she had to pull away and readjust the position she was lying in. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Scott softly smiled at her just as an OB doctor came into the room.  
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Graham?” the doctor asked.  
“A little crampy but otherwise, fine,” Hillary answered. At least that’s how she felt physically. Mentally was another story. “Can I leave now?”  
The doctor nodded. “I think so. I’ll prescribe you some painkillers for any residual pain you’ll have for the next few days.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”  
The doctor nodded again. “I’ll go get your discharge papers and your prescription and then you’ll be good to go.”  
Hillary and Scott both nodded, both eager to get out of the hospital.  
“Do you still want to stay in Miami like we planned?” Scott asked after the doctor left the room.  
“It would be nice,” Hillary shrugged. Clearing her head on a beach for a few days didn’t sound so bad.  
Scott nodded, “Okay.”  
“We don’t have to,” Hillary said.  
“No, we can,” Scott replied. “I just didn’t know what you’d be up to doing.”  
“We should stay,” Hillary decided. "We need a vacation."   
Scott nodded. He grabbed Hillary’s hand and squeezed it. “That’s fine with me.”  
Hillary weakly smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand in return. “Pass me my cell phone. I’m going to call Jess.”  
Scott nodded, looking for her phone in her purse. “Sure.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary said after Scott passed it to her and she called her home number.  
“Hello?” Jessica answered after a few rings.  
“Hey, Kitty Cat,” Hillary smiled to herself.  
Jessica chuckled. “You haven’t called me that since I was ten.”  
“Well, can’t I start again?” Hillary chuckled. Hearing Jessica’s voice had made her feel ten times better.  
“I don’t know,” Jessica giggled. “It’s fine, I guess. So what’s going on? Are you guys staying in Miami?”  
“Yes, we’re going to stay here for the rest of the trip,” Hillary answered.  
“Yeah, you guys need some time away,” Jessica agreed.  
“Yeah,” Hillary sadly sighed. “I miss you and your sisters so much already though.”  
“We miss you, too, mama,” Jessica said softly. “Chelsea and I are really sorry about the baby.”  
Hillary just sighed. “Did you and Chelsea manage to get any sleep last night?” She quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it.  
“Yeah, we both got a few hours of sleep,” Jessica answered. “Chelsea went back to bed after I told her about what happened. I was just feeding Sophia before you called. I’ll probably go take a nap after Chelsea wakes up.”  
“Good,” Hillary nodded to herself.  
Jessica sighed. “I miss you so much. Me, you, and Chelsea need to have a girls night when you get back. Before she goes to California.”  
“We will,” Hillary agreed. “Of course we will.”  
“You know, I was thinking last night when I went to bed,” Jessica suddenly said. “What if you and I had never moved to Chicago? And we stayed in New York. We would have never met Bill. And Maybe you would have ended up with Scott sooner.”  
“I don’t know about that,” Hillary softly chuckled.  
“Or a totally different guy,” Jessica pointed out. “And maybe I would have been an only child?”  
Hillary sighed. “Who knows.”  
Jessica sighed in return. “Yeah.”  
“I don’t regret moving to Chicago when you were younger,” Hillary said.  
“I know,” Jessica agreed. “And I love Bill, and Chelsea, and Hayley. Things would have been a lot different if you had never met Bill, that’s all.”  
“Yeah,” Hillary agreed.  
“But I can’t imagine not having sisters,” Jessica said. “Or even Bill,” she admitted quietly.  
“Yeah, it would have been nice if it was just you and me,” Hillary agreed. “But I love your sisters, too.”  
 _And Bill_ a quiet voice in the back of her head was saying but she didn’t dare say that out loud to Jessica.  
“How are you doing, by the way?” Hillary asked, knowing it was the first time Jessica was without Hillary’s help with the baby since Sophia had been born.  
“I’m okay, just perpetually exhausted,” Jessica answered, chuckling. “And my boobs hurt! Sophia is a little vampire.”  
“So were you,” Hillary chuckled. “It’s pay back.”  
Jessica groaned playfully. Right on cue, Hillary heard Sophia start to cry in the background.  
“Ugh, I _know_ you’re not hungry again, baby girl,” Jessica sighed. “I _just_ fed you.”  
Hillary managed to chuckle.  
“I gotta go, mom,” Jessica said. “I think she needs a diaper change. Love you.”  
“Love you, too,” Hillary said. “Give everyone a hug and a kiss for me.”  
“Will do,” Jessica said before she hung up.  
Meanwhile, Scott had found Hillary’s clothes.  
“How are you doing?” Hillary asked him, taking her clothes from him as he helped her out of bed so she could get dressed. “Are you okay?”  
Scott just nodded. "Mmmm hmmm."   
Hillary nodded in return and sadly sighed.  
  


“Let’s go,” she said, a few minutes later after she had gotten dressed, her discharge papers were signed, her IV had been taken out, and a nurse had brought a wheelchair to her room. She just wanted to go grieve with Scott in the privacy of their hotel suite.  
Scott solemnly nodded. “I’ll go bring the car around.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, we are heading into the super angsty part of the story... 
> 
> Even though there is still more sad stuff ahead, there are also plenty of juicy and happy things to come which I can't wait to share with you all and for you guys to read. Thanks for reading as always and I hope you are all doing well!


	14. All In All

_‘Cause love and hate, and they both burn_ _  
_ _Peace and war, they take turns_

_-Shania Twain, All in All_

Hillary nervously tapped her foot against the stained hardwood floor of the doctor’s office waiting room that her and Scott were currently sitting in. She fidgeted in her chair uncomfortably and closed the _Good Housekeeping_ magazine she had been flipping through. It was three months after her miscarriage and Hillary and Scott were waiting to see the top double board certified fertility specialist and OB-GYN in the Tri-State area at her New York City practice.   
One month after the miscarriage, Scott was desperate for a child of his own, so he had asked Hillary if they could at least _try_ In-Vitro Fertilization. While she was still grieving, and felt it was _way_ too soon to try for another baby already, she had reluctantly agreed to try one round of IVF—just _one—_ to see what happened before they could look into other options. Besides, IVF rarely worked on the first try...Right?   
They had gone through their first round of IVF and were now waiting to find out the results. Hillary had felt nauseous, tired and achy for the past few days but she figured, there was no way she could already be pregnant after only the first try. Especially at her age.   
“It’ll be about five more minutes or so, Mr. and Mrs. Graham,” the receptionist cheerfully said to the couple from her desk a few feet away from where Hillary and Scott were sitting. “Dr. Thompson apologizes for the delay. She’s a bit backed up today.”   
Scott waved her off. “No problem.” Both him and Hillary had taken the afternoon off from their respective jobs so that they could both go to this appointment. He turned to Hillary, who was still anxiously tapping her foot. “Are you nervous?” He gave Hillary a nervous-but-excited smile.   
Hillary nodded. “I’m okay though.”   
“Hopefully it’s good news,” Scott grinned.   
Hillary just nervously smiled and nodded.   
Scott leaned over, pecked her cheek, and grabbed her hand to reassuringly squeeze it just as one of the practice’s medical assistants came out to the waiting room.   
“Hillary Graham?”   
“That’s us,” Scott excitedly said as he and Hillary stood up and followed the assistant to Dr. Naomi Thompson’s office at the end of the hallway.   
“Have a seat. Dr. Thompson will be right with you,” the assistant urged the couple, gesturing to the two chairs across the desk from Dr. Thompson’s desk chair.   
“Thank you,” Hillary politely said as she sat down and rested her purse and briefcase in her lap.   
Dr. Naomi Thompson, a pretty middle-aged Black woman with her braids pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, walked into her office a few minutes later and greeted the couple with an excited smile. “Hello again, Hillary and Scott. It’s so nice to see you again. I do apologize for the delay. It’s been a _crazy_ day around here.”   
“Oh, no problem,” Hillary assured her but really she just wanted to get this appointment over with.   
“How have you been feeling lately, Hillary?” Dr. Thompson asked, taking a seat across from the couple.   
Hillary shrugged. “Pretty good. A little tired and nauseous lately though.”   
“Is that good news?” Scott excitedly smiled at the doctor.   
Dr. Thompson gave the couple a knowing smile. “I guess you want the results of your pregnancy test first?”   
“Yes, please,” Hillary nodded and nervously cleared her throat.   
Scott reached for Hillary’s hand in anticipation and Hillary let him take it.   
“Well…” Dr. Thompson grinned at them as she opened the folder containing Hillary's chart. “Congratulations! Your blood and urine tests show that you are indeed pregnant.”   
Scott grinned and wrapped his arms tightly around Hillary while Hillary sat there, in shock. Scott kissed her cheek. “Oh my God, I love you so much, sweetheart!”   
“You two are _very_ lucky,” Dr. Thompson said, smiling at Scott’s excitement. “IVF rarely works on the first try.”   
“Oh, we know!” Scott smiled broadly. “And is she pregnant with just one baby? Because you mentioned that multiples are a strong possibility with IVF.”   
Dr. Thompson chuckled. “More than one baby is _very_ possible. That’s what we’re going to check today. We implanted six eggs so we’ll see how many of them actually took. Let’s go across the hallway for an ultrasound.”   
Hillary and Scott nodded and followed Dr. Thompson across the hallway into an exam room. Still feeling shell-shocked and numb, Hillary wordlessly crawled up onto the exam table and lay down while the ultrasound technician got the ultrasound set up.   
“What if it's twins?” Scott excitedly asked Hillary, squeezing her hand tightly.   
“Well...we would definitely have our hands full if that was the case,” Hillary managed to get out through a forced smile while the ultrasound technician squirted the gel on her stomach.   
“Or, maybe it’s just one baby,” Scott shrugged.   
“There we go,” Dr.Thompson said as a black and white picture of Hillary’s uterus came up.   
“So...what’s the verdict, Dr. Thompson?” Scott asked, his eyes full of anticipation.   
“There’s one baby…” Dr. Thompson found.   
Hillary managed to turn her forced smile into a softer smile as she stared at the ultrasound screen and Dr. Thompson pointed out the small—barely there—dot that was their baby.   
“...And another,” Dr. Thompson grinned.   
“ _Twins_?” Hillary squeaked out, in shock.   
Dr. Thompson nodded. “Congratulations. It looks like you are indeed having twins.”   
“Oh my God,” Scott stared at the ultrasound and at Dr. Thompson, agog. “That’s perfect. Isn’t that perfect, honey?” he looked down at Hillary.   
“That’s amazing,” Hillary forced a smile again, although she wasn't quite sure if her words matched what her brain was thinking.   
“I love you _so_ much,” Scott smiled down at her. “And they’re healthy?” He added, checking with Dr. Thompson.   
The doctor nodded. “Everything looks great. And all of Hillary's blood work came back perfectly normal and healthy.” She turned to Hillary. “If you make it to full-term, expect to see them in about eight months.”   
Hillary nodded. “Is that it? Can I go now?”   
Dr. Thompson nodded. “That’s it for today. Can you come in again in about two weeks for your six week checkup?”   
Hillary nodded while the ultrasound technician wiped off the ultrasound gel for her. “Of course. Thank you, Dr. Thompson.”   
“No problem,” Dr. Thompson smiled as she printed off the sonogram for them.   
  


* * * * *

“This is crazy,” Scott excitedly rambled after they had gotten into the car to go home. “I’m _so_ happy right now. Are you happy?”   
Hillary forced a smile. “Of course I am, honey. This is wonderful news.”   
Scott shook his head in disbelief as he started the car. “Two babies. _Wow_.”   
“Five kids,” Hillary mused as that realization hit her.   
Scott chuckled. “You’ll manage. You’re doing great with three. Jessica and Chelsea are adults anyways. And when Jessica and Sophia are hopefully out of the house in a few weeks, it’ll just be you, me, Hayley, and our babies.”   
Hillary nodded and rested her hands on her abdomen.   
_Twins_ she thought in complete disbelief.   
  


* * * * *

Hillary had to admit, on the hour and a half car ride home, she was _slowly_ getting used to the idea that she was pregnant with twins. And she knew whatever happened, no matter how scared, nervous, and hesitant she might be right now, she would love her babies no matter what.   
“Jessica?” She called out as her and Scott walked into the house.   
“Shhh!” Jessica scolded, running down the stairs carrying a basket of dirty laundry. “I _just_ got Hayley and Sophia to sleep! Thank God. Now I can finally go work on my paper that’s due Friday that I haven’t even _started_ on yet.” Jessica groaned as she left the laundry basket at the top of the stairs that led down to the basement.   
“Are you okay?” Hillary asked her, taking off her coat and hanging it up in the hallway closet, as she noticed the dark circles under Jessica’s eyes.   
Jessica nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m just really stressed out right now.”   
Hillary frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, baby.”   
“Yeah, well, you could stop using me as a free nanny!” Jessica rolled her eyes at Hillary before she stormed upstairs.   
Scott sighed. “You better go talk to her.”   
Hillary sighed and nodded in agreement before she went upstairs and walked down the hallway to Jessica’s room. As she stood outside Jessica’s closed bedroom door, she could hear her quietly sobbing.   
“Kitty Cat?” Hillary said, lightly knocking on the door.   
“Don’t call me that!” Jessica loudly snapped.   
Hillary sighed as she opened the door a crack and poked her head inside the room.   
“Go away!” Jessica yelled. “I have a paper to write!”   
Hillary sighed. “Honey.” She sat down on the edge of Jessica’s bed, across from where Jessica was sitting cross-legged with her laptop open.   
“Oh my God. _Go away_ ,” Jessica forcefully said. “I told you. I’m trying to write a paper.”   
Hillary sighed again, feeling guilty knowing that work and all of the required doctor’s visits and medical procedures for the IVF had taken up most of her time the past few months. “Jessie, baby. I’m sorry. Scott and I have just been really busy lately.”   
Jessica rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, whatever.”   
“Don’t ‘yeah, whatever’ me, Jessica,” Hillary scolded.   
Jessica just scoffed and shook her head. “Whatever,” she said again, knowing it would get under her mother’s skin.   
“You know what,” Hillary started, feeling fired up. “I bought you a perfectly nice townhouse up the street. Go to your own house if living with us is so bad!”   
Rather than antagonizing her mother further, Jessica simply teared up and shook her head again. “Stop being a bitch, mom.”   
“Don’t call me a bitch, Jessica,” Hillary warned, a fiery look in her eyes.   
“Yeah, well. Leave me alone!” Jessica argued.   
“No! Apologize to me or get the hell out of my house!” Hillary loudly yelled.   
“Mom! I’ve been staying with you because you’re supposed to be helping me with the baby. But all you do is leave me here to babysit Hayley when I have my _own_ kid to take care of,” Jessica pointed out.   
“That isn’t true,” Hillary insisted, shaking her head.   
“Yes, it _is_ ,” Jessica retorted. “You’re always up Scott’s ass!”   
Hillary scoffed.   
“It’s just…” Jessica started as she teared up again. “We used to be best friends and now we barely talk.”   
Hillary sadly sighed. “I’m sorry, Jessie.”   
“Just leave me alone,” Jessica cried out.   
“Jessica, I’m really sorry,” Hillary sincerely apologized, realizing her mistakes over the past few months.   
Jessica just sadly shook her head. “You should have never left Bill,” she quietly said, looking down.   
“I thought you and Chelsea wanted me to be with Scott,” Hillary replied, looking taken aback at Jessica’s comment.   
“Well, yeah, we did! At first,” Jessica explained. “But you never have time for us anymore.”   
“That’s not true,” Hillary frowned and bit her lip.   
Jessica just sighed. “Whatever, mom. Can I write my paper now?”   
Hillary sighed, too. “I love you, sweetie. Can we talk later?”   
“Fine,” Jessica shrugged. “That sounds good. Right now I have schoolwork to do.”   
Hillary nodded, as a look that was a mixture of guilt and sadness fell across her face.   
Fuck, I forgot about the laundry,” Jessica realized. She groaned.   
“I’ll do it,” Hillary assured her daughter. “And I’ll watch Sophia for you when she wakes up.”   
Jessica nodded. “Thanks. She’ll wake up soon.”   
Hillary nodded and stood up from Jessica’s bed. She grabbed the baby monitor from Jessica’s nightstand. 

After leaving Jessica alone to do her schoolwork, she walked across the hallway to Hayley’s room. Sophia had her own nursery but sometimes Jessica left Sophia’s bassinet in Hayley’s room so it was easier to watch both girls at once.   
Hayley was still napping but Sophia was wide awake.   
“Hi!” Hillary softly smiled down at her granddaughter as she gently scooped her up from her bassinet.   
Sophia stared up at her while Hillary sat down in the nearby rocking chair with her.   
“You look just like your mama did,” Hillary whispered, still smiling down at the baby. “She was my first baby,” Hillary mused out loud to herself while Sophia happily cooed. “And you’re my first grandbaby.” She chuckled as Sophia yawned, her mouth making a tiny pink ‘O’ shape.   
“You’re so adorable,” Hillary cooed, holding the baby close to her, just as Hayley started waking up.   
“Mama?” Hayley sleepily cooed, as she sat up in her new big girl Princess bed.   
“Hi!” Hillary grinned at her youngest daughter. She walked over and scooped up Hayley, resting her against her right hip while she held Sophia close to her against her left shoulder with her other hand.   
“Mommy,” Hayley happily cooed.   
Hillary smiled down at her. “Come on, let’s go find Scott.”   
Hayley grinned, “Scott!”   
“Yeah, let’s go find him!” Hillary happily said.   
She brought the babies downstairs and found Scott in the living room on the couch with his laptop open, catching up on work he had missed from taking the afternoon off.   
“Hey!” he happily greeted, seeing Hillary come into the room.   
Hillary smiled at him as she put Hayley down to play, while she sat down in an armchair that was kitty-corner to the couch, holding Sophia close to her.   
“You okay?” Scott checked.   
Hillary nodded. “Of course.”   
“You and Jessica got pretty harsh with each other,” Scott remarked.   
Hillary winced. If Scott could hear their argument from the living room which was on the other side of the house and a whole floor away from Jessica’s bedroom than she knew things must have been pretty bad.   
She managed to just shrug. “Yeah, we fight like that sometimes.”   
“Oh,” Scott looked surprised. In the few months him and Hillary had been together, and he had been living in the same house with Hillary and Jessica, he hadn’t seen them argue. Not like _that_ anyways. “Well, that’s not good.”   
Hillary shrugged again. “Well, we haven’t gotten into it quite like that since she was sixteen. But yeah. It happens sometimes. It’s okay. We don’t mean what we say.”   
“Okay.” Scott shrugged as Hayley started crawling into his lap.   
He smiled down at her.   
“Pool?” Hayley sweetly asked.   
“You silly girl,” Hillary chuckled. “It’s too cold to go swimming right now.”   
“Aww,” Hayley sadly pouted.   
Hillary chuckled again. “We can go play outside though. You wanna go play outside?”   
“Yeah!” Hayley excitedly nodded.   
Hillary put Sophia down in her Pack N’ Play and gestured for Scott to keep an eye on her.   
“Yeah, let’s go get some fresh air,” Hillary said, scooping up Hayley from Scott’s lap. “Let’s go put on some warmer clothes first though.”   
“Mama, Jessie?” Hayley asked, as Hillary carried her upstairs.   
“Jessica’s busy right now. Let’s leave her alone,” Hillary said.   
“Chelsea?” Hayley whined.   
“Chelsea’s not here,” Hillary sighed, knowing that Hayley had been confused about Chelsea’s absence ever since Chelsea had left for college two and a half months prior. “You know that. You’ll see her in a few weeks though when she comes home to visit. Don’t you want to spend some time with Mama?”   
Hayley pouted. “Jessie!” She loudly whined.   
Jessica came out of her bedroom looking annoyed, after hearing Hayley’s whining. “What is it, Hayley?”   
“Pway outside?” Hayley sweetly said.   
Jessica softly smiled at how adorable her younger sister was before she sighed. “I can’t, Hayls. I have to study.”   
“Oh, just come outside with us for a few minutes,” Hillary tried. “The fresh air will do you some good.”   
“I can’t,” Jessica shook her head. “I have too much work to do.”   
“Please?” Hillary tried.   
“No! I’m still mad at you!” Jessica huffed. “Just leave me alone.”   
“Jessie, how many times do I have to apologize?” Hillary asked with a frustrated sigh.   
Jessica rolled her eyes.   
“I’m sorry,” Hillary sincerely said. “I love you.”   
“Whatever, mom,” Jessica rolled her eyes again.   
“And you call me a bitch,” Hillary said with a sharp edge to her tone.   
Jessica gasped. “Because you are a bitch!” She exclaimed before she stormed back inside her room and slammed the door shut.   
Hillary sighed and opened it. “Jess.”   
“What?” Jessica glared at her mom.   
“I’m sorry,” Hillary reiterated. “I really am.”   
“Go away,” Jessica sharply retorted as Hayley started wriggling around in Hillary’s arms, getting antsy.   
Hillary sighed before she decided to leave Jessica alone. She walked across the hall to Hayley’s room.   
She put Hayley down and opened one of the dresser drawers to find a pair of jeans to get Hayley changed into.   
“Yay, outside!” Hayley squealed, as Hillary started getting her changed.   
Hillary chuckled as Hayley excitedly clapped her hands.   
“My happy little girl,” Hillary softly smiled at her youngest daughter.   
“Swim?” Hayley asked, cocking her head to the side curiously.   
“No, we’re not going swimming,” Hillary chuckled. “It’s too cold. We _are_ going to play outside though.”   
Hayley nodded. “Oh, okay!”   
Hillary laughed again. “And then when it _is_ warm enough to go swimming again, Mama won’t be able to fit into a bathing suit probably,” Hillary mused out loud as she remembered the news she had found out that day. “You’re going to have two new baby siblings.”   
Hayley cocked her head to the side in confusion again.   
“There are two babies in mommy’s tummy,” Hillary explained.   
“Twins?”   
Hillary jumped slightly in surprise as Jessica came into Hayley’s room and came up behind Hillary.   
“So the IVF worked? The eggs took?” Jessica asked as Hillary turned around to look at her.   
Hillary nodded slightly.   
“Oh, Wow. Congratulations, mom,” Jessica weakly smiled at her mother.   
“Don’t tell anyone yet. Only Scott knows so far,” Hillary said.   
Jessica nodded. “My lips are sealed.” She suddenly wrapped her arms around Hillary and tightly squeezed her. “I’m so sorry for before, mom.”   
Hillary smiled to herself. “It’s okay.”   
“Can we talk?” Jessica asked, after she had pulled away from Hillary.   
“Of course,” Hillary nodded.   
They sat down on Hayley’s bed together and let Hayley go play with some of her dolls in the corner.   
“I’m just so sad and stressed out all the time,” Jessica admitted, tearing up. “I’ve been having the _worst_ mood swings and I just get so... _sad_ all the time.”   
Hillary frowned, mentally kicking herself that because of how busy she had been the past few months, she hadn’t realized how much her daughter had been struggling.   
“I mean I love Sophia but having a baby is _so_ stressful,” Jessica cried as tears started rolling down her cheeks.   
“Oh, honey,” Hillary sighed. She reassuringly rubbed her daughter’s back. “It’s okay. Don’t cry. It’s alright.”   
Jessica leaned her head against Hillary’s shoulder and started sobbing.   
“Shh, it’s okay,” Hillary soothed, wrapping her arm around Jessica’s waist.   
“I’m so stressed!” Jessica sobbed into Hillary’s shoulder. “I can’t do this!”   
“Shh, honey,” Hillary comforted. “I’ll help you. Maybe you should speak with your doctor.” Hillary frowned, thinking it sounded like Jessica was dealing with some postpartum depression or at least postpartum blues.   
Jessica nodded. “Okay.”   
“I’m going to help you out more,” Hillary assured Jessica. “I know what it’s like, remember? I was _so_ stressed when you were first born. And when you and Chelsea were little.”   
Jessica sniffled and nodded again as Hillary rubbed gentle soothing circles on her back. “I want to be a kid again,” she suddenly remarked.   
Hillary chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Jessica’s head.   
Jessica sighed. “I’m sorry I was being so mean to you before, Mom."   
“Shh, no need to apologize,” Hillary reassured her. “We’ll get you some help.”   
Jessica nodded and wrapped her arms around her mother. “Please.”   
Hillary nodded and squeezed Jessica in return.   
“I’m scared I’m going to screw Sophia up,” Jessica admitted.   
“Oh, you won’t,” Hillary reassured Jessica, with a slight chuckle.   
“But I will,” Jessica sadly sighed.   
“Hey, I thought I would screw you up and you turned out pretty good. Right?” Hillary teased.   
Jessica managed to chuckle at that.   
“Outside!” Hayley suddenly demanded, getting up from where she had been quietly playing and running over to the two women, breaking up the tender mother-daughter moment.   
Jessica sighed. “Take her. I’m going to get back to my paper.”   
“You sure?” Hillary checked. “Come outside with us. Just for a few minutes. The fresh air will make you feel better.”   
Jessica nodded and shrugged. “Alright. I’ll meet you down there. Let me go grab a sweater.”   
  


* * * * *

Hillary was gently pushing Hayley on one of the swings from the swing set and play area that Scott had built outside in his and Hillary's expansive backyard for Hayley and any other potential future children (and Sophia when she was big enough) while Hillary and Hayley waited for Jessica to join them in the backyard. 

“Hey, you want to join us?” Hillary grinned when she saw the sliding glass door open and Scott walked outside.   
“I wish I could,” Scott sighed. “But I have to go back into the city for work.”   
“ _Now_?” Hillary sighed, and checked her watch, seeing that it was already four in the afternoon.   
Scott nodded and sighed. “Sorry, honey. There’s a Partner’s meeting. Did I forget to tell you about it?”   
Hillary nodded. “Why is it so late in the day?”   
“That’s the only time everyone was available,” Scott explained.   
Hillary nodded again and sighed. “I understand.” She knew what the life of a Managing Partner at a busy New York City law firm was like. “We’ll miss you though,” she said just as Jessica came outside with Sophia.   
“I hope you two made up,” Scott said as Jessica sat down in the empty swing beside Hayley, and cuddled Sophia close to her chest.   
“We did,” Jessica reassured her stepfather with a smile.   
“Good,” Scott nodded happily. “Anyways. I better get going. I’m going to the gym after the meeting so don’t wait up for me.”   
Hillary nodded. “See you later. But give me a kiss before you go.”   
Scott walked up beside her and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be home around eleven,” he said.   
Hillary nodded. “Have a good evening. See you later tonight.”   
Scott nodded. “Bye girls,” he said to Hayley and Jessica.   
“See ya,” Jessica said.   
“Bye bye,” Hayley sweetly cooed and waved at him as he left the yard to head around the side of the house to get to the driveway. “Daddy?” She asked, looking up at Hillary.   
“Daddy’s in Arkansas,” Hillary explained. “We have Scott now.”   
Hayley sweetly nodded. “Scott!” She excitedly exclaimed and giggled.   
Hillary smiled down at her and resumed gently pushing her on the swing. She turned to Jessica. “I’m going to hire a nanny for Hayley and Sophia.”   
Jessica nodded. “Perfect. Thank you.”   
“It just slipped my mind and got put on the backburner,” Hillary explained. “But I’ll start the process this coming week.”   
Jessica nodded again. “So, twins?” she suddenly asked her mother.   
“Yep.” Hillary nodded.   
“That’s so cool,” Jessica smiled. “Congratulations, again.”   
Hillary just shrugged and nodded. Jessica got distracted by Sophia and didn’t notice Hillary's lack of enthusiasm.   
“Brrrr,” Hayley suddenly said and wrapped her arms around herself like she was cold.   
“Yeah, it is pretty chilly out here,” Hillary realized. “Let’s go back inside.”   
Jessica nodded in agreement and chuckled. “It’s freezing.”   
  


Once they had gotten back inside and taken their coats off, Hillary turned on the kettle so that she could make tea for herself and Jessica.   
“Soup?” Hayley asked, pointing to the pantry where she knew Hillary and Scott kept the instant ramen that Hayley was _obsessed_ with.   
“You want your soup, sweetie?” Jessica sweetly asked her younger sister after she came back from putting a now sleeping Sophia in the Pack N’ Play.   
“Soup!” Hayley excitedly nodded.   
“I can make it for her,” Jessica offered.   
“You sure?” Hillary checked. "What about your homework?"   
Jessica nodded. “It’s fine. It’ll only take five minutes.”   
Hillary nodded in return. “Do you mind if I go change then? Into something more comfortable?” She was itching to get out of her work clothes.   
Jessica nodded again. “Go ahead.”   
“Thanks. I’ll be quick,” Hillary assured Jessica before she went upstairs to her and Scott’s room. 

She had just come out of her walk-in closet carrying a pair of black leggings and a tan brown camisole when her Blackberry—which was sitting on the nightstand—suddenly vibrated and pinged with a text message notification. She sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up her phone to check it when she realized it was a text from Bill. 

_Hey. I haven’t heard from you in a while. I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be in New York City next week._

_We can’t see each other. I’m married._ She furiously typed in response and sent it. She hesitated before she typed _And I’m pregnant again. This texting and emailing is going too far. I’m not a cheater._

She frowned and deleted the line about being pregnant. 

_This texting and emailing is going too far. I’m not a cheater_ she decided on before she sent it. 

Her phone suddenly rang in her hands a few moments later.   
“Hello?”   
“Hey,” Bill said in his southern drawl.   
Hillary just sighed when she realized it was him.   
“You haven’t texted or emailed me in a while,” Bill pointed out.   
“Yeah, because we were going _way_ too far,” Hillary argued. “I’m married, Bill. Scott is my husband now.”   
“How have we gone too far?” Bill asked her, genuinely confused.   
Hillary sighed again. “Well we can’t text every night like we were doing. I think Scott was getting suspicious.”   
“I know you enjoyed it _just_ as much as I did,” Bill stated.   
“Yes, I did. But that’s exactly why we _shouldn’t_ be doing it,” Hillary pointed out. “You’re trying to convince me that I’m unhappy, Bill.”   
I’m not trying to convince you of anything,” Bill said softly. “I just really miss you, Hillary...A lot.”   
Hillary sighed, feeling frustrated.   
“But I do think we were happier than you and Scott will ever be,” Bill pointed out.   
“I can’t talk about this, Bill,” Hillary hissed into the phone. “It’s _so_ wrong. I married Scott. I have to live with that.”   
“Okay, well,” Bill sadly sighed. “I’ll leave you alone then.”   
“No, wait!” Hillary exclaimed, feeling guilty. “I didn’t ask you to leave me alone.”   
“Then what do you want me to do?” Bill quietly asked.   
“I don’t know,” Hillary whispered, on the verge of tears.   
“We could make it work again,” Bill urged. “Leave him.”   
“I’m pregnant,” Hillary choked up as tears rolled down her cheeks.   
“Damn it, Hillary!” Bill angrily exclaimed before he let out a frustrated sigh.   
“You can’t be mad at me,” Hillary argued. “You _cheated_ on _me._ You proposed to someone else. Did you expect me to just be single for the rest of my life?”   
“I thought you said the IVF wouldn’t work,” Bill pointed out.   
“I really didn’t expect it to work on the first try,” Hillary honestly answered, sounding sincere. “But...here we are.”   
Bill sighed in frustration again, not knowing what else to say.   
“Shit, I have to go,” Hillary suddenly said, hearing footsteps approaching her bedroom.   
“I’ll be in New York next week. A friend of mine asked me to give a guest lecture at Columbia University. I’ll come to Connecticut to see you,” Bill said.   
Hillary didn’t say anything in return. She hung up on her ex-husband without another word.   
She quickly brushed her tears away just in time before Jessica came into the bedroom, holding Sophia, with Hayley in tow behind her.   
“Hey, you okay?” Jessica asked, noticing that something about her mother seemed "off".   
“Mmmm hmmm,” Hillary forced a smile. “I’m fine. What’s up?”   
“I’m going to give Sophia a bath before dinner,” Jessica said. “Can you watch Hayley?”   
“Of course,” Hillary said, reaching her hand out to Hayley. “I think I’m going to catch up on some work and then I’ll start on dinner.”   
Jessica nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll help you with dinner after I’m done with Sophie’s bath.”   
Hillary nodded and watched as Jessica and Sophia left the room.   
“You wanna help mommy get some work done?” Hillary grinned at Hayley.   
“Oh yeah!” Hayley excitedly nodded.   
“Okay, let’s go,” Hillary said, taking Hayley’s hand. 

They walked upstairs to Hillary’s third floor home office together. Hillary quickly got Hayley settled in her toddler-sized Disney princess themed desk that was kitty-corner to Hillary’s desk, so that Hillary could keep an eye on Hayley and keep her occupied, whenever Hillary needed to work from home.  
“There you go, sweetie,” Hillary smiled as she passed Hayley her _Little Mermaid_ coloring book and a cup full of crayons. Hillary could practically memorize _The Little Mermaid_ from the amount of times Chelsea and Jessica had watched it as kids, and now it seemed that Hayley was following in her big sisters’ footsteps with her own love of _The Little Mermaid._  
But no sooner had Hillary gotten Hayley occupied with her coloring book, turned on her computer and logged into her work email when the phone suddenly rang.   
“Hello?” She answered without checking the call display.   
“Hey, mom!” Chelsea’s bubbly voice came through on the other end.   
“Oh, hi, Chels!” Hillary grinned to herself, excited to hear her daughter’s voice. “What’s up?”   
“Oh, nothing much,” Chelsea answered. “I had some free time in between classes and thought I’d call to check in.”   
“Well, it’s great to hear from you,” Hillary replied. “How are things going? Are you settling in okay? Making friends?” She asked, always the worrier.   
“Oh, yeah,” Chelsea assured her worried mother. “Stanford’s great, Mom. I love it.”   
“Good, good,” Hillary let out a relaxed sigh.   
“I do miss you guys though,” Chelsea let out a sigh. “I’m kind of homesick sometimes.”   
“Well, you’ll see us in two weeks for Thanksgiving,” Hillary pointed out. “And we can’t wait.”   
“Yeah, but I miss dad, too,” Chelsea let out another sigh.   
“Oh,” Hillary bit her lip and frowned. “Do you want to talk about it?”   
“I like your new house. It’s really nice. It just doesn’t feel like home, you know?” Chelsea explained. “I just miss when we were all together in Arkansas,” Chelsea continued, a bittersweet tone to her voice. “Things were good, you know? And not that Scott isn’t nice. He’s great...But he’s not dad.”   
Hillary frowned again and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right about that. But Scott’s good to us at least.”   
“I know...I just really miss dad,” Chelsea sighed. “All the money and everything is nice but its not the way things were in Little Rock.”   
“I understand,” Hillary sadly sighed. “I know me marrying Scott was a big change and everything happened so fast.”   
“Yeah,” Hillary could hear Chelsea choke up on the other end.   
“Hey, it’s okay, honey,” Hillary soothingly said. “It’s okay. I know we haven’t really talked about any of this stuff before.”   
“Do you love Scott as much as you loved Dad?” Chelsea asked, sniffling.   
“Well…” Hillary hesitated. “That’s a hard question to answer, honey.”   
She heard Chelsea hiccup on the other end. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy with Scott, mom.”   
“Yeah…”   
“Life is so complicated,” Chelsea chuckled through her tears.   
“I completely agree,” Hillary managed to chuckle.   
“Wait, so you don’t love Scott as much as you loved Dad?” Chelsea asked, sounding confused.   
“Chelsea,” Hillary started. “Your father was the love of my life. But that didn’t work out. It’s...it’s hard to explain.”   
“So...you don’t love Scott?” Chelsea asked in confusion. Hillary could picture her with her brow furrowed.   
“No, no, I do,” Hillary sighed. “It’s...difficult to understand. It’s just a different kind of love than the love I ha…” She cleared her throat when she almost said ‘have’ instead of ‘had.’ “Had for your father,” she finished.   
“Well _I_ love you,” Chelsea said, sounding a little brighter.   
“And I have loved _you_ since the moment I found out you were coming,” Hillary grinned to herself.   
“I miss you, mom,” Chelsea replied, chuckling slightly.   
“I miss you, too,” Hillary said. “Are you feeling better?” She asked when she realized Chelsea sounded like she was back to her usual, positive, upbeat and happy self.   
“Yeah. I think I just needed to hear your voice,” Chelsea explained. “And I’ll give dad a call later, too. Thanks for talking to me, mom.”   
“Oh, no problem,” Hillary assured her daughter. “That’s what I’m here for. You know you can call me any time, day or night.”   
“I know,” Chelsea said. “Anyways, I better get ready for my Intro to Anthropology lecture. I love you, mom.”   
“Love you, too, sweetheart,” Hillary smiled to herself.   
“Oh, and one more thing?” Chelsea asked.   
“Yes?”   
“Could you look over my poli sci essay and give me your thoughts?” Chelsea asked. “It’s due tomorrow.”   
“Sure, honey. Email it to me and I’ll take a look,” Hillary replied.   
“Thanks, mom! You’re a lifesaver. I gotta go now before I’m late for class but I’m emailing it right now,” Chelsea said before she hung up.   
A few minutes later when Hillary had logged out of her work email and logged into her personal account in order to read Chelsea’s essay, she saw that she had gotten an email from Bill a few minutes prior. 

_It was nice to hear your voice today._

_-Bill_

She read after she opened it. She sighed before she quickly typed something in return. 

_Fine. We can meet for lunch one day when you’re in the city._ She sent in reply. 

_Thank you, Hill. I’ll call you when I’m in New York_. Bill replied a few minutes later. 

* * * * *

Later that night after Hayley and Sophia had been put to bed and Scott was still at the gym, Jessica had taken a break from her paper to relax and watch some HGTV with Hillary in the living room.   
“I missed you,” Jessica remarked, reaching for a handful of popcorn from the bowl that was in between them on the couch. “It’s been a while since we’ve hung out like this, just the two of us.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement and took a sip of her tea. “This is nice.”   
“Having a baby is so hard,” Jessica suddenly said with a sigh.   
“Oh, I know, honey,” Hillary agreed, giving her daughter a sympathetic smile. “I nearly lost my mind with you,” she admitted with a chuckle.   
Jessica smirked at that and ate another handful of popcorn.   
“It’s okay though,” Hillary chuckled. “Everything worked out in the end.” She let out a nostalgic sigh. “You’re not my sweet baby girl anymore though.”   
“Oh, shut up,” Jessica giggled. “Yes, I am.”   
Hillary smiled over at her.   
“But how did you do it before you met Bill?” Jessica asked, genuine confusion in her voice. “I’m seriously _losing_ my mind.”   
“Things will get easier,” Hillary assured her daughter. “Sophia’s only four months old. It’s only reasonable that you’re still getting the hang of things. But once she’s a little older, things will get easier. And we’ll get you some help.”   
Jessica nodded. “And it’s just been so much harder ever since I started grad school.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I know. But hey, you never know. Maybe one day you’ll meet someone as perfect as Bill,” she suddenly said without thinking.   
Jessica raised her right eyebrow in confusion and alarm. “You mean someone as perfect as Scott...right?”   
“What?” Hillary asked. “Oh, yeah. Of...of course,” she stuttered, realizing her mistake as her cheeks flushed slightly.   
“What’s going on, Mom?” Jessica asked, frowning in confusion.   
“Nothing,” Hillary shrugged. “Scott’s great. I meant Scott. Of course I meant Scott. I’m just used to saying Bill. That’s all.” She shrugged again, trying to act like it was just a slip of the tongue.   
Jessica gave her mom a skeptical look before she also shrugged nonchalantly. “You know, I’ve been missing Bill a bit, too. I’m sad he hasn’t spent any more time with Sophia since the day she was born.”   
She had planned to email her stepdad updates and pictures of Sophia but after the remark he had made to Hillary about Jessica not being his daughter, she had fallen through with her end of the bargain and hadn’t reached out to Bill since. She always considered it, knowing what he had said had probably just been said in the heat of the moment, but she still hadn’t been able to bring herself to reach out to him, no matter how empty her life felt without Bill in it.   
“He’ll be in New York City next week,” Hillary informed Jessica. “He’s giving a guest lecture at Columbia, at the law school. I’ll probably meet him for lunch one day and bring Hayley with me. You and Sophia can come too if you’re free.”   
Jessica nodded before she looked at her mother curiously. “Are you sure you don’t miss him, too? Not even a little bit?”   
“Why should I?” Hillary asked, an incredulous look on her face.   
“I don’t know. You built a whole life with him,” Jessica shrugged. “Chelsea and Hayley really miss him,” she added a moment later when Hillary still hadn’t said anything.   
“Yeah, I know,” Hillary sadly sighed.   
“And you do, too,” Jessica quietly said, before she put a reassuring hand on her mother’s thigh.   
Hillary hesitated for a moment before she nodded. “I do,” she finally admitted in a whisper. “I feel so guilty about it though,” she added as she teared up. “I have a new husband. I have a new life.”   
“Oh...mom,” Jessica let out a big sigh and frowned. “It’s okay to miss him,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her mother. She kissed Hillary’s cheek right as the phone rang. Jessica let go of Hillary so that she could answer it before the ringing woke the kids up.   
“Hello?” Hillary said, after she grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle on the end table. “Um, yes this is she,” Hillary said nervously a moment later.   
Jessica looked at her mother in confusion seeing a look of alarm cross her mother’s face. “ _Who is it?_ ” she mouthed to Hillary.   
Hillary gestured to Jessica to pass her the small notepad and pen that was kept beside the phone for taking messages with.   
Jessica quickly passed it to her and watched Hillary write down an address.   
“Yes, of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Hillary said to whoever was on the other end of the phone. “I’ll be on the next flight out. Thank you for calling.”   
“Who was it? What’s going on?” Jessica nervously asked, seeing a look of worry and fear in her mother’s eyes.   
“That was a nurse from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Illinois,” Hillary started. “Your grandmother had a heart attack.”

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between Hillary and Bill having somewhat of an "affair" over texting and email, and the mother-daughter dynamics that were explored more in this chapter, this was actually one of my favorite chapters to write so far and now I am excited to finally share it with all of you. There were different points of writing this chapter where I definitely wished I could give Hillary, Jessica, Chelsea, and even Bill (lol) a big comforting hug. And I definitely want to give Hillary a hug in most (if not all) of the future chapters I have written so far :( 
> 
> Things are about to get intense again, as if they're not already intense enough. Stay tuned! 
> 
> As always, thank you SO much for reading and commenting! :)


	15. Chicago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for miscarriage and major character death (they were more of a presence in From This Moment On but just in case). 
> 
> Also, before I forget. I'm going to give a content warning for emotional/mental/psychological abuse for this chapter and onward, on and off, for at least the next several chapters.

_Where do you go with your broken heart in tow?_

_And what do you do with the leftover you?_

_And how do you know when to let go?_

_Where does the good go?_

_Where does the good go?_

_-Tegan and Sara_

“Oh my God,” Jessica gasped upon hearing the news about her grandmother. “Is she okay?”  
“I don’t know,” Hillary let out a nervous shaky sigh. “Your uncles are with her right now. Apparently she’s stable for now. I have to go pack.” Hillary quickly ran upstairs before Jessica could say anything.  
“Hey, mom? Mom, it’s okay,” Jessica said, running upstairs after her. “Just breathe, mom,” Jessica encouraged, as she walked into Hillary’s giant walk-in closet. Hillary had left a dark brown leather duffle bag on top of the dresser that was in the middle of the room, and was randomly throwing the first clothes she could grab into it.  
“I just want to get to Chicago as soon as possible,” Hillary explained, the worry for her mother etched all over her face.  
Jessica nodded. “I understand. You need to stay calm though. I’ll book you a flight.”  
Hillary nervously nodded. “Thank you.”  
“And don’t worry. I’ll watch Hayley,” Jessica assured her mother.  
“Thank you, Jess,” Hillary gratefully said, as she half-hazardly folded a pair of black leggings.  
Jessica nodded and gave her mom a big, reassuring hug.  
“I need to call Bill and let him know,” Hillary remarked as Jessica squeezed her.  
“No,” Jessica raised her right eyebrow and pulled away from her mother. “No...you need to call Scott and let _him_ know,” Jessica corrected, giving Hillary a strange look.  
“Your grandmother’s like a second mother to Bill,” Hillary explained. “He would want to know. But you’re right. I’ll call Scott first.” She nodded as she walked across the room and grabbed a pile of blouses from where they were hanging.  
“Mom...you’re married,” Jessica quietly said. “Just...just keep that in mind.”  
“I know that, Jessica,” Hillary quietly said before she let out a sigh.  
“Okay,” Jessica nodded and shrugged just as Scott walked in the room, still in his workout clothes.  
“Oh...hey,” Hillary greeted him as she noticed him.  
“Hi,” Scott grinned at the mother and daughter as he set his gym bag down. “What’s going on?” His brow furrowed in confusion when he realized Hillary was packing. “You’re not leaving me, are you?” he teased.  
Jessica glared at him. "Now's not the time for jokes, Scott."   
“My mom had a heart attack,” Hillary explained with a sad sigh. “I’m going to Chicago.”  
Scott’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, of course. Of course. I’m so sorry to hear that. Do you want me to go with you, darling?”  
“Um...no. I think I’ll be okay on my own,” Hillary responded, still feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the news.  
Jessica left the room to go try to get Hillary on a flight at the last minute and to give her and Scott some privacy.  
“Honey, I can take a few days off work,” Scott offered, looking at Hillary softly.  
“No, it’s okay,” Hillary waved him off, as she packed a pair of dark blue jeans into her bag.  
“I want to be there for you, babe,” Scott said, squeezing Hillary’s shoulder reassuringly.  
Hillary nodded. “I know. But let me fly out there now and you can come join me in a few days.” She shrugged.  
“Are you sure?” Scott checked, seeing how visibly shaken Hillary was.  
“I’ll be fine,” Hillary insisted, nodding.  
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Scott repeated, as he pulled Hillary into a tight hug.  
“Thanks,” Hillary nodded and buried her face in Scott’s shoulder. “Hopefully she’ll pull through.”  
“I’m sure she will,” Scott nodded, burying his head in the top of Hillary’s head and kissing her forehead. “I guess I’ll stay and help Jessica with Hayley.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thanks.” She got up on her tippy toes and pecked Scott on the lips just as Jessica walked back into the closet, carrying her laptop.  
“There are still a few spots left on the last flight of the night,” Jessica announced.  
Hillary nodded. “Book a seat for me then.”  
Jessica nodded and left the room again, her cell phone and laptop in hand.  
“I’ll drive you to the airport,” Scott offered.  
Hillary nodded again. “That would be great. Thank you, honey.”  
“Of course,” Scott soothingly rubbed her arms.  
“I’m going to finish packing,” Hillary informed him.  
“Of course,” Scott nodded. “I’ll go give Jessica my credit card for the plane ticket.”  
“Thank you, honey,” Hillary gratefully said, giving Scott a small smile.  
Scott pecked her forehead again and softly smiled before he left Hillary alone to pack. 

After Hillary had called Chelsea to let her know what had happened and had resumed her packing, her cell phone suddenly rang. 

* * * * *

When Jessica came back to the closet a few minutes later to let her mom know that she had gotten Hillary a plane ticket, she found Hillary curled up in a ball on the floor, against the wall, quietly sobbing.  
“Mom?” Jessica’s brow furrowed in confusion and alarm at the sight in front of her. “Mom? What’s going on?” Jessica nervously asked, crouching down in front of Hillary. “Is Grandma okay?”  
“She uh...she took a turn for the worse and…” Hillary hiccuped and sniffed. “She didn’t make it, Jess,” she informed her daughter in a quiet voice.  
Jessica loudly gasped as she took in the news that her grandmother had passed away. “No!” She got up and quickly bolted downstairs to go tell Scott.  
“What’s going on?” Scott asked, as Jessica ran into the kitchen. He looked at Jessica in alarm and stopped pouring the glass of water he had been pouring, upon seeing the look on Jessica's face.   
“Um, my grandmother passed away,” Jessica explained prompting Scott to quickly run upstairs with Jessica not far behind him. 

“It’s okay, mom,” Jessica soothed, sitting down on the floor beside Hillary as she wrapped her arms around her mother’s tiny frame.  
“I...need...to...go...to...the...airport. Now,” Hillary stated, in between sobs. 

* * * * * *

“Call me when you land. Okay?” Scott said, after dropping Hillary off at her gate.  
Hillary managed to nod, still in shock over the fact that her mother had passed away so suddenly and unexpectedly.  
“Be careful,” Scott said, reaching over and squeezing Hillary’s hand. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Hillary stiffly said, nervously swallowing. “I’ll see you in a few days.”  
“I am _really_ sorry about your mom.” Scott sadly sighed.  
“Yeah,” Hillary sighed and nodded. “Me, too,” she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with her husband. She quickly got out of the car, grabbed her bag from the trunk of Scott’s SUV and walked into the airport.  
Feeling numb and like she was operating on auto-pilot, she quickly checked in, went through security and sat down at the gate while she waited for her flight to board. She pulled out her cell phone from her purse and dialed Bill’s number.  
“Hello?” He sleepily answered after a few rings.  
“Bill...it’s me,” Hillary choked out.  
“Hillary?” Bill immediately perked up, hearing the sobs in his ex-wife’s voice. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”  
“My, um, my mom passed away,” Hillary sniffled. “I’m on my way to Chicago right now.”  
“Oh, Hillary,” Bill sadly sighed, feeling a punch of grief inside of him upon hearing this news.”I am _so_ sorry, Hillary. Is there anything I can do?”  
“I just really needed to hear your voice right now,” Hillary choked out. Will you come to Chicago with me?” she quietly asked.  
“Of course. I’ll be on the next flight out,” Bill said in a reassuring voice. “Is...um...is _he_ with you?”  
“No,” Hillary cleared her throat. “I’m alone. I told him not to come with me for now.”  
“Okay, well. Let me see if I can get a flight tonight and I’ll call you back in a few minutes,” Bill informed her.  
“Thank you _so_ much,” Hillary gratefully said. “I’ll see you soon.”  
“Of course, Hillary,” Bill replied. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Hillary said, without thinking before she hung up.  
  


* * * * * 

After the two hour flight, which Hillary wasn’t sure whether or not it had been the longest or the shortest flight of her entire life, Hillary found Bill waiting for her at Chicago O’hare International Airport, in the (now closed for the night) food court area where they had arranged to meet after he had managed to also get the last flight of the night from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Chicago, Illinois.  
Upon seeing Bill waiting for her, Hillary started openly sobbing again, not being able to hold things in any longer.   
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” Bill soothed, as Hillary ran into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and tightly squeezed her.  
“I missed you so much!” Hillary sobbed into Bill’s shoulder, as she tried to calm herself down to no avail.  
“I missed you, too, sweetie,” Bill murmured into Hillary’s hair, as he rubbed soothing circles into her back. “You need to calm down though. Okay?”  
Hillary nodded and pulled away from Bill’s embrace.  
“Where do you want to go?” Bill asked her. “Your parent’s house? A hotel?”  
Hillary shook her head. “I can’t go back to my parents house. Too many memories.” The fact that both her parents were now gone was definitely compounding her grief over Dorothy even more. “Betsy said I could stay in her guest room. Can you drive me there?”  
Bill nodded. “Of course. Or...we could get a hotel room?”  
“You have a fiancee, Bill,” Hillary sadly sighed. “I don’t think either of our spouses would like it if we stayed in a hotel together."   
“Alexis and I are on...kind of a break right now,” Bill admitted. “One of her exes came to town for a visit and she slept with him.”  
“Oh.” Hillary was taken aback. Bill no longer being with Alexis—even if it was just temporary—definitely changed things. And even though Hillary expected to feel a smug sense of satisfaction over the fact that Bill had been the one to be cheated _on_ this time and not the cheater himself, Hillary just felt a deep sense of sadness, knowing how much it hurt to be cheated on.  
“I’ll go rent a car and we can get a hotel room,” Bill urged, seeing the look of confusion on Hillary’s face. “Or...we can get separate rooms if that would make you feel more comfortable.”  
“Okay,” Hillary quietly said after a beat, nodding. “Are we going to call this an affair?” she asked quietly, picking up her duffle bag.  
“Do you think this is going to _be_ an affair?” Bill asked, gathering up his own luggage.  
“I don’t know,” Hillary shrugged, not in a state of mind to be able to answer that question.  
“For now, think of it as a good friend doing a kind gesture for another friend,” Bill pointed out.  
Hillary nodded as they started walking over to the car rental counter. “Alright. I should still call Betsy though and let her know what I’m doing. I told her I'd call her when I landed.”  
Bill nodded in agreement. “Did you get all your luggage?”  
“I only brought a carry-on,” Hillary explained. “I don’t know how long I’m staying for.”  
Bill nodded again.  
“Scott’s coming in a few days. He can bring me the rest of my things, I guess,” Hillary thought out loud.  
Bill frowned, hearing Scott’s name.  
“He’s my husband, Bill,” Hillary sadly sighed.  
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Bill chuckled bitterly while they waited for service at the car rental counter. “I actually might kill him if I see him.” Bill narrowed his eyes angrily.  
“You can’t be mad at him, Bill,” Hillary looked up at her ex-husband. “You _were_ my husband but you decided you didn’t want that anymore.”  
“I know. You’re right,” Bill angrily sighed, more angry at himself than anybody. “I was a motherfucking idiot.”  
“Yeah, you were,” Hillary muttered in agreement.  
“Why did I propose to Alexis?” Bill rambled out loud as he started filling out the paperwork for the car rental.  
“I wish I knew,” Hillary quietly said.  
“And...you’ve got a bun in the oven?” Bill asked, seeing Hillary (subconsciously?) rubbing her stomach.  
“Two,” Hillary quietly answered. “It’s twins.”  
“Wow,” Bill said, taken aback as he was handed the keys to the rental car. “Congratulations. I guess.”  
“I’m too old for this shit,” Hillary shook her head as her and Bill started heading out to the car.  
“But didn’t you _want_ another baby?” Bill asked in confusion. He knew Hillary wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of fertility treatments if she didn’t actually want another baby.  
“Yeah, one baby,” Hillary said. “Not two. I love these babies but I didn’t want to have to start all over. Jessica and Chelsea are adults,” she explained.  
“I’m sorry,” Bill sighed.  
Hillary shrugged as she checked her phone, hearing it beep with a text message notification. “Betsy said I can come over. Can you take me there instead of the hotel? I probably shouldn’t stay with you.”  
Bill nodded. “Of course I’ll take you to Betsy’s if that’s what you want but if we stay together, I promise I won’t try anything. We can even get separate rooms.”  
“But how is that going to look, Bill?” Hillary asked, letting out a frustrated sigh. “My husband is in Connecticut and I’m here...staying with you.”  
“We can be friends for the kids sake,” Bill pointed out. “Tell Scott that,” he shrugged, thinking it wasn’t as big a deal as Hillary was making it out to be.  
“My friends won’t understand,” Hillary tried.  
“So, ignore them,” Bill replied. “I want you to stay with me.”  
“Well, can you at least drop me off at Betsy’s first?” Hillary asked after they found their car, put the luggage in the trunk and got in. “Melissa’s there, too, and I want to say hi.”  
“Fine,” Bill agreed as he started driving.  
“Can I call you when I’m ready to leave?” Hillary asked.  
“Of course, sweetie,” Bill nodded. He softly stared at her out of the corner of his eye while they were stopped at a red light. “I’ll find us a hotel room in the meantime.”  
“Rooms,” Hillary corrected him, awkwardly clearing her throat.  
“Rooms,” Bill nodded.  
  


* * * * *

“Just text me when you’re ready to leave,” Bill said after he pulled up in front of Betsy’s house. “I’ll come straight away.”  
Hillary nodded and sighed. “I’ll text you in a bit.”  
“Good,” Bill weakly smiled. “I’ll see you soon,” he added with a sad sigh. “I am _really_ sorry about your mom, Hill. She was an amazing woman.”  
“Yeah. She was,” Hillary agreed as fresh tears that threatened to spill over glistened in her eyes.  
Bill leaned over and quickly pecked Hillary’s cheek.  
“I’m not a cheater, Bill. We can’t do this,” Hillary suddenly said before she grabbed her purse and quickly got out of the car, running up Betsy’s driveway without looking back at Bill as he idled for a moment, before she heard his car finally drive off.  
Finding Betsy’s door unlocked, Hillary went inside and found her two best friends in Betsy’s living room.  
“Hey,” she greeted them in a quiet voice.  
“Hey,” Betsy said, getting up to give her best friend a hug.  
“Hi.” Hillary tightly squeezed Betsy before she sat down on the couch across from the two other women.  
“How are you doing?” Melissa asked her, giving her friend a tender look.  
“I didn’t get to say goodbye,” Hillary quietly said in a shaky voice.  
“Oh, Hillary.” Betsy sadly sighed, feeling horrible for her best friend’s loss.  
“How did you get here, by the way?” Melissa asked, frowning. “Taxi? We didn’t recognize the car that dropped you off.”  
“Um, Bill brought me,” Hillary admitted. “I called him and he flew in.”  
“Oh,” Melissa seemed taken aback. “That's kind of weird.”  
“No it’s not,” Hillary shrugged. “He’s just being supportive right now. He and my mom were close, and we’re trying to be friends for the kids sake,” Hillary explained, using the explanation Bill had told her to use. “They’ve been having a hard time with all of this.”  
“Well, I think it's nice that you and Bill can still be friends,” Betsy piped in.  
“It is nice,” Hillary agreed, nodding.  
“Do you want wine?” Melissa offered, holding up the bottle of Chardonnay she was currently pouring herself a glass of.  
Hillary shook her head. “No, thanks. I don’t feel like drinking,” she made up, since they didn’t know she was pregnant yet. “I honestly just want to go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”  
“My guest bedroom is all yours, Hill,” Betsy offered.  
“Actually, I think I’m going to text Bill to come and get me,” Hillary explained. “We need to discuss Chelsea’s tuition for next semester,” she made up.  
“Oh, okay,” Betsy shrugged. “Whatever is easiest for you.”  
  


_I’m ready to go._ Hillary quickly texted Bill.

_I’ll be there in 10_ Bill swiftly sent back. 

“So what is it like being married to a rich guy?” Melissa asked with a smirk (clearly already slightly tipsy from the wine she had been drinking) while they waited for Bill.  
“Oh, it’s fine,” Hillary vaguely answered, shrugging. “It’s nice, I guess.”  
The girls nodded. They made small talk until Bill texted Hillary a few minutes later to say that he was outside.  
“I’ll see you girls later this week, I guess,” Hillary said to her friends, hugging them goodbye. “Love you.”  
She quickly walked down the driveway and got into Bill’s car.  
“Hey,” Bill greeted her with a half-smile.   
“Hi,” Hillary quietly replied.  
“How are your friends?” Bill asked as he started driving them to their hotel.  
“They’re fine,” Hillary nodded.  
“Good.” Bill nodded. “And how are you doing?”  
“I’m okay,” Hillary nervously swallowed and nodded. “I’m good now that I’m with you,” she shyly admitted.  
Bill smiled, then reached over and squeezed her hand while they were stopped at a red light. “Well, you look great.”  
“I’m a mess,” Hillary countered with a slight chuckle.  
“You’re a beautiful mess then,” Bill said quietly, weakly smiling.  
“I’ve missed you,” Hillary admitted, chuckling sadly.  
“I’ve missed you, too,” Bill admitted in return, as he pulled into a parking spot outside the hotel he had found, not too far away from Betsy’s house.  
“Shit, I forgot to call Scott when I landed,” Hillary realized as they got out of the car. “I better call him now,” she said, pulling out her Blackberry from her purse as her and Bill entered the lobby of their hotel. Hillary sat down on a couch in the lobby while Bill went over to the front desk to check in.  
“Hello?” Scott answered after a few rings.   
“Hi, Scott,” Hillary quietly said.  
“Oh, hey honey,” Scott replied, happy to hear his wife's voice. “How are you doing?”  
“I’m okay,” Hillary nervously swallowed. Why did she feel so nervous, she thought to herself. It’s not like her and Bill had actually done anything untoward. “Don’t be mad but I called Bill and he flew into Chicago as well. We’re staying in the same hotel,” she admitted to her husband. “In separate rooms of course,” she clarified. “I just didn’t want to be alone.”  
“You couldn’t stay with one of your brothers?” Scott scoffed in annoyance. “Or with a friend?”  
“Things would be too emotional if I stayed with Hugh or Tony,” Hillary admitted, nervously chewing on her lip. “I’m already on the verge of a breakdown as it is.”  
“And what about Betsy or Melissa? Don’t they have a guest room you could stay in?” Scott questioned.  
“Really, Scott. It’s no big deal,” Hillary tried brushing him off.  
Scott angrily sighed.  
“Scott, I was honest with you about where I’m staying. Nothing is going to happen between me and Bill. We’re just friends,” Hillary insisted. “ _You’re_ my husband.”  
“I just don’t know why you had to go to _him_ , Hillary,” Scott angrily replied.  
Hillary harshly sighed. “I swear nothing will happen. You have to trust me.”  
“Please just remember that I love you. _So_ much,” Scott softly said.  
“I know. I love you, too,” Hillary replied flatly.  
“How would you feel if I stayed in the same hotel as one of my exes?” Scott suddenly questioned.  
“Then I would have to trust you if you were honest with me,” Hillary sincerely answered. “Listen, Scott. Bill just _gets_ me. I don’t have to explain myself to him. And my mom was like a second mother to him. That’s why we’re staying in the same hotel.”  
“I don’t get you,” Scott replied in an exasperated tone. “What the fuck is going on with you, Hillary?”  
Hillary suddenly started crying again, all of her varying emotions catching up to her. “Don’t yell at me, Scott! This day has been awful enough already. And now you’re putting words in my mouth.”  
“I’m sorry,” Scott sighed, feeling bad. “I didn’t mean to yell. I love you and I miss you. I guess it's okay if you want to stay with Bill.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said.  
“When do you want me to come down?” Scott asked.  
“Um, Thursday maybe,” Hillary suggested. “If the funeral is Friday or Saturday then Chelsea and Jessica don’t have to miss too much school.”  
“Well what if I come tomorrow morning and Jessica can bring Sophia and Hayley on Thursday?” Scott softly suggested. “Chelsea can fly in on Thursday as well.”  
“No, I don’t think so,” Hillary quietly sighed. “Just come on Thursday.”  
“Why, Hillary?” Scott asked her with a frustrated sigh.  
“Because Jess needs help with Hayley,” Hillary pointed out.  
“I’m coming tomorrow,” Scott stubbornly insisted. “I want to be there for you, honey. Why the hell won’t you let me?”  
“Because Jess is really struggling, honey,” Hillary sincerely answered. “I only found out today how hard things have been for her lately. It’s not fair to leave her home alone with a baby and a toddler. She has a lot on her plate right now and she needs help with the kids."   
“Well, I’m not her father,” Scott argued. “She doesn’t need or want my help and support.”  
“You’re such an asshole sometimes, Scott!” Hillary angrily exclaimed. “She’s my daughter and we can’t just keep using her as a free babysitter.”  
“Well that’s what you’re using me as!” Scott yelled. “You want me to be stuck here with _your_ kids!”  
“Scott, my mother just _died_. If you hate being stuck with my daughters and my granddaughter _so_ badly then let me talk to Jessica right now. _They_ can get on the first flight out tomorrow morning and don’t you _dare_ come with them,” Hillary angrily said.  
“I don’t know why you’re being such a bitch, Hillary!” Scott exclaimed. “I _want_ to be with you. I’m fucking _offering_ to be there with you but you’d rather be with your ex-husband who cheated on you!”  
Scott was yelling loud enough that Bill could hear him through Hillary’s phone, when he came back over to where Hillary was sitting, their room keys in hand.  
“Because, Scott,” Hillary started through angry clenched teeth. “It sounds an awful lot like you resent my children and that _pisses me off_.”  
“What? I don’t resent your children, Hillary,” Scott retorted. “I love your girls. Please, let’s stop fighting.”  
“You started this!” Hillary exclaimed as she shook with anger.  
“Hang up, Hill,” Bill quietly said.  
“I’ve got to go, Scott,” Hillary said, taking Bill’s advice because of how angry she was with Scott. She didn’t want to hear another word from him. “Bye.”  
“You’re only hanging up because _he_ told you, too!” Scott exclaimed. “Damn it, Hillary! Why are you being this way?”  
“Because I’m trying to grieve and you won’t stop _yelling_ at me,” Hillary choked out, as she started crying again.  
“I’m yelling because you’re trying to cheat on me!”  
“No, I’m not!” Hillary screamed, loud enough for the desk clerk to look up from her computer to see what was going on. Hillary suddenly groaned and doubled over as she felt a sharp pain in the side of her stomach.  
Bill quickly grabbed the phone out of her hands. “Scott, I know I’m the last person you want to talk to right now but she _needs_ to calm down. This much stress isn’t good for the babies. She’ll call you later.”  
“You’re _fucking_ right I don’t want to hear from you!” Scott yelled. “You lost her, Bill. Don’t you _dare_ try anything.”  
“I’m not going to be the only one who made the mistake of losing her if you don’t stop being a bastard,” Bill seethed in between clenched teeth as he saw Hillary get up and run to the ladies room. He quickly hung up on Scott without saying anything else and followed Hillary into the bathroom, not caring that it was the women's washroom seeing as Hillary was the only person using it at that time of night.  
“Hillary?” He called out.  
“Bill,” Hillary weakly called out from one of the stalls. “I’m bleeding,” she loudly sobbed.  
He followed the sound of her voice (and sobs) to the stall she was in and opened the door. “We’ve gotta get you to the hospital. _Now_ ,” Bill ordered as he helped her up from where she had been curled up into a ball, sobbing on the bathroom floor.  
“You have to call Scott,” Hillary sobbed as Bill led her out of the washroom.  
“I will. As soon as we’re in the car,” Bill assured her, dragging her through the hotel lobby and back out to the car.

* * * * * *  
  


“It hurts!” Hillary sobbed, clutching her stomach while Bill rushed her to the nearest hospital.  
“Shh,” Bill soothed, reaching over to tightly squeeze her hand as he pulled up to the ambulance bay of the Emergency Room.

After they had quickly gotten Hillary inside and set up in an exam room, drawn blood, and done a pelvic exam and a vaginal ultrasound, the ER Resident, a young brunette haired man in his late twenties, quickly set up the ultrasound machine.  
Bill stood by the side of the gurney Hillary was currently lying on and tightly squeezed her hand.  
“Am I miscarrying, Dr. Carter?” Hillary asked, on the verge of tears again.  
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Mrs. Graham, but it looks like you did lose one of the fetuses. However, the other baby is fine. Everything looks good with the other one.”  
Hillary nodded slightly. “I...um...okay. Thank you, Dr. Carter.”  
“I’m going to keep you here for observation for a while, and have someone from OB check you out before you can go home,” Dr. Carter informed her. “I don’t want to discharge you until most of the bleeding has stopped.”  
Hillary nodded, knowing the drill already from her last miscarriage.  
Dr. Carter nodded, made some notes on Hillary’s chart, and left the room.  
“I need my phone,” Hillary said to Bill, gesturing for him to pass her her purse.   
“Let me talk to him,” Bill said quietly.  
“No!” Hillary said firmly, shaking her head as she grabbed her cell phone from him. “He needs to hear it from me,” she sadly sighed. “We had just found out about them today,” She explained, her voice cracking with emotion as she teared up again.  
“I am so sorry, Hillary,” Bill sadly sighed, hating to see Hillary in so much pain over the double whammy of losing her mother and a baby all in the span of only a couple of hours.  
Hillary harshly sighed as she called her husband.  
“Hello? Hillary?” Scott answered, an annoyed tone to his voice.  
“Scott,” Hillary sobbed. “Scott...I...I lost one of the babies,” she choked out.  
“What?” Scott said, sounding shocked and confused. “But...but...but Dr. Thompson said they were fine!”  
“I know!” Hillary cried out. “I’m sorry!”  
“This is all your fault!” Scott yelled.  
“My fault?” Hillary sobbed. “We knew the risks because of my age!”  
“This would never have happened if you hadn’t called that son of a bitch,” Scott seethed.  
“Don’t be mad at me,” Hillary sobbed. “Please, Scott!”  
Scott angrily hung up on her without saying anything else.  
“Fuck!” Hillary exclaimed while she threw her phone across the room. “Can you get me out of here? Please,” Hillary begged, turning to Bill.  
“Not yet, sweetie,” Bill said in a calm and measured voice. He squeezed her shoulder. “Just calm down, sweetheart.”  
“I can’t calm down!” Hillary cried. “I love him!”  
“I know,” Bill sadly sighed, tearing up. “I know, but think of your baby. Try to calm down for him or her. Everything will be okay.”  
“I have to call Betsy,” Hillary realized. “You need to leave me alone. This is _your_ fault," She accused, as she let Scott's words get into her head.   
Of course logically she knew it wasn’t and that these things just sadly happened sometimes...but emotionally, it felt like maybe Scott was right and maybe God was punishing her for seeking Bill out.  
“Hillary, I would never want something like this to happen to you,” Bill calmly said. “You know that. I got you here as fast as I possibly could.”  
“I knew this was a bad idea,” Hillary sniffled. “Now Scott hates me. So you have to go.”  
“I’m not leaving you alone,” Bill insisted. “He won’t get a flight tonight. It’ll be hours before he gets here.”  
“I doubt he’ll even come,” Hillary regretfully shook her head. “He said this is my fault.” She sadly sighed just as her cell phone rang.  
Bill picked it up from where it had landed after Hillary threw it, and passed it over to her.  
“Hello?” Hillary answered quietly. She sniffed.  
“I want to be with you,” Scott’s quiet and soothing voice came over the other end. “Can I? Or is that too much to ask?”  
“Please come,” Hillary whispered in a desperate voice.  
“Alright,” Scott replied in a quiet tone. “I’ll be there in the morning.”  
“Okay,” Hillary sniffled again. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too. I’ll call you when I land tomorrow.”  
Hillary sighed and hung up. She looked up at Bill. “He’s coming so you need to leave.”  
“But what about when you’re discharged?” Bill argued.  
“I’ll call Betsy,” Hillary retorted. “You’ve fucked up enough tonight.”  
“Listen, please don’t be mad at me,” Bill begged, knowing it was Hillary's grief that was making her act this way. “I was trying to fix things. I know I fucked up our relationship. That was my fault. Totally my fault. And I’m _so_ sorry, baby. But I can’t bear not having you in my life at all.”  
“Scott is right,” Hillary sadly sighed. “I shouldn’t have come running back to you like I did.”  
“Why?” Bill’s brow furrowed in sadness and confusion.  
“Because I don’t know how to _just_ be friends with you,” Hillary sadly said. “I’m always going to want more. And so will you. I know you. So we need to stop this now.”  
“Please, Hillary,” Bill begged with a pleading look in his big blue eyes. “You are the _love of my life_.”  
“I would have stuck by you through _anything_ , Bill,” Hillary looked at him with a heartbroken look in her eyes. “But you _left_ me. You _cheated_ on me. You _broke_ my heart.” Her voice cracked with more unshed tears. “So, yes. I went to Scott. He really cares about me and I can’t hurt him the way you hurt me.”  
“Yeah, but you don’t love him the way you love me,” Bill quietly said.  
“That doesn’t matter,” Hillary softly replied. “I made a vow to him and I can’t break it. You know I’m not like that.”  
“You should follow your heart, Hillary,” Bill begged.  
Hillary shook her head. “No, that doesn’t matter. I’m not hurting him the way you hurt me.”  
Bill sadly sighed and shook his head. “I’m _so_ sorry, Hillary. I’m never going to stop loving you though.”  
“Okay,” Hillary nodded, taking what her ex-husband had said into consideration. “Go now. Please.”  
“Hillary!” Bill pleaded.  
“Go!” Hillary harshly sighed as she picked up her phone and started dialing Betsy’s number.  
“Well, can I at least hug you goodbye?” Bill tried.  
Hillary shook her head. “Please just go. This is already difficult enough.”  
“It’s difficult for me, too, Hillary, Goddammit!” Bill exclaimed. “But I love you enough to walk away if that’s what you _truly_ want. But at least give me a proper goodbye.”  
“Go away, Bill!” Hillary loudly exclaimed. “You’ve now ruined _both_ of my marriages!”  
“I’m always going to love you,” Bill whispered as tears fell down his cheeks.  
“You don’t hurt the people you love the way you hurt me!” Hillary cried out as Bill turned to leave.  
“I wish I could take back what I did, Hillary. I wish I never met Alexis. I really do,” Bill sadly shook his head, turning back around to look at his ex-wife. “I don’t know what happened to me. But I’ll leave you alone now if that’s what you truly want. I’m sorry.” He slipped out the door of the exam room just as Hillary’s phone started ringing.  
“Hello?”  
“Hill?” It was Betsy returning Hillary’s call.  
“Hey,” Hillary sniffled. “So...Scott and I had a fight. And then Bill and I had a fight.” She sadly laughed. It sounded absurd now that she was actually saying it out loud.  
“What’s going on?” Betsy asked in a concerned tone of voice.  
“I was pregnant. With twins,” Hillary sniffled again as she made this admission to her best friend. “And I miscarried one of them.”  
“Oh, sweetie.” Betsy sadly sighed.  
“Can you come get me?” Hillary sobbed. “I’m at County General Hospital.”  
“Of course. I’ll be right there.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary quietly said before she quickly hung up.  
She could see through the window of the exam room door that Bill was pacing up and down the hallway.  
 _Get it together, Hillary. You love Scott_ she thought to herself.  
She tried to distract herself by composing an email on her Blackberry to her boss, explaining her mother’s death and asking for bereavement leave but she couldn’t stop herself from staring at Bill. Despite her stomach cramps, she managed to shuffle over to the window to get a better look at him. His face was scrunched up in agony like he was trying not to cry. She closed her eyes and sadly sighed as all of her memories of him and their marriage came flooding back to her.  
She opened the door to the exam room and walked over to where Bill was standing in the hallway.  
“Why am I doing this? Why am I even still talking to you? This isn’t like me,” Hillary realized, while Bill stared down at her.  
“In a way it is,” Bill softly said. “You have a hard time _not_ following your heart, Hillary. You’re always worried about other people and I love that about you. But I think it's time to think about yourself for once.”  
Hillary shook her head. “Scott loves me,” she insisted. “He would give me the moon if I asked for it.”  
“I would, too,” Bill tenderly stared down at her. “If you let me.”  
“I _did_ let you,” Hillary sadly sighed.  
“What I did to you, how I treated you, will always be the _biggest_ regret of my life,” Bill quietly said. “You were the only person I ever truly loved and I _hurt_ you.” He sadly shook his head as the painful memories of his past behaviour came up to the surface.   
“I can’t leave Scott,” Hillary stubbornly insisted.  
“Fine,” Bill sadly sighed. “I love you enough to let you go then. If that's what you want.”  
Wordlessly, Hillary turned on her heel and shuffled back inside the exam room she had been previously occupying. She curled up into a ball on the gurney and loudly sobbed as the fact that she had lost her mother, a baby, and Bill all in one day finally sunk in.  
  


Betsy found her like that a few minutes later. Her sobbing had subsided and she was taking small shallow breaths as she tried to calm down. Betsy crawled onto the gurney with her and wrapped her arms around her best friend.  
“This has absolutely been the worst day ever,” Hillary murmured.  
“I know,” Betsy sadly sighed, squeezing Hillary tightly. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”  
“Is Bill still around?” Hillary asked.  
“I didn’t see him,” Betsy answered quietly, staring at Hillary tenderly. “But he did leave your bag with the front desk clerk who gave it to me.”  
Hillary nodded. “Just take me back to your place please.”  
“Of course, sweetie,” Betsy soothed, rubbing gentle circles on Hillary’s back.  
  


* * * * *

“Wanna talk about it?” Betsy asked, once Hillary had been discharged from the hospital and the two women were sitting in the front seat of Betsy’s car.  
“I’m still in love with Bill,” Hillary admitted through fresh tears that had just sprung. “But I can’t leave Scott because I’m pregnant,” she sobbed out.  
“Oh, honey,” Betsy sadly sighed. “Listen to me, Hillary. Are you happy?”  
“I am,” Hillary nodded. “I think so anyways.”  
“You think?” Betsy raised her left eyebrow in surprise. “Because you deserve to be really, _truly_ happy, Hillary.”  
Hillary nodded. “Scott makes me happy.”  
“Happier than you’ve ever been?” Betsy checked.  
Hillary nodded again. “Scott’s given me everything.” She sniffled.  
“Okay, sweetie,” Betsy nodded. She wasn’t sure if Hillary was thinking clearly but she knew now was not the time to push things when Hillary’s emotional state was so fragile. “Let’s get you home to bed.”  
  


* * * * *

Hillary squinted at the alarm clock on the nightstand when she woke up the next morning and she was surprised to see that it was almost noon. Her body had definitely needed the extra sleep after all the events of the previous day. She slowly realized she had stopped bleeding but her stomach was still cramping.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed Scott was sitting in the armchair in the corner of Betsy’s guest room.  
“Hey,” he gruffly said when he noticed that his wife was awake.  
“Hey,” Hillary replied, managing to work up a small smile. “I am _so_ sorry about yesterday, sweetheart.”  
Scott nodded. “I know. Are you okay?”  
Hillary shrugged. “Not really.” She let out a sad chuckle. “When did you get here?”  
“About an hour ago,” Scott answered.  
Hillary nodded. “I don’t think I feel like getting out of bed yet.”  
“Then, don’t,” Scott encouraged. Hillary wasn’t one to lay around in bed all day, even when she was sick, injured, or upset, so Scott knew that things must be pretty rough if Hillary had slept in and didn’t want to get out of bed.  
“Will you stay with me?” Hillary asked her husband in a voice barely above a whisper.  
“Of course,” Scott nodded, staring at his wife tenderly.  
“I have some phone calls to make,” Hillary suddenly realized.  
“Who do you need to call?” Scott asked.  
Hillary shrugged. “The funeral home, my brothers, my boss.”  
“Well, I’ll help you,” Scott offered.  
“No, I can do it myself,” Hillary insisted, as she sat up in bed.  
“Well, please just rest for now,” Scott tried as Hillary was suddenly acting more like her usual self. “Do you want breakfast? I’ll make you something.”  
Hillary nodded as her stomach growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the previous day. “Sure. That would be nice. Thanks.”  
Scott nodded and left the room while Hillary sadly sighed and buried herself under the covers.  
  


Scott came back to the guest room a few minutes later with a tray of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and a mug of peppermint tea for his wife. Hillary sat up in bed while Scott passed the tray to her. He crawled into bed beside her and tentatively wrapped his arm around her tiny waist. Hillary finally relaxed into his embrace after he tenderly kissed the top of her head.  
“Eat,” Scott urged. “Just a little if that’s all you can stomach.”  
Hillary nodded and picked at her food.  
“How are the kids?” Hillary curiously asked.  
“They’re fine,” Scott assured her. “They’re flying out here on Thursday like you suggested. Don’t worry about them.”  
Hillary nodded. “Good. Thanks for staying with them last night.”  
“I didn’t mind at all,” Scott assured her, but his tone sounded forced to Hillary’s ears. “I’m sorry about everything I said last night.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said, nodding as she accepted her husband’s apology. “Thanks for being here now.”  
“Of course,” Scott pecked her cheek. “You’re my _wife_ , Hillary.”  
“I know,” Hillary nodded again. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too.” He leaned in and passionately kissed her.  
Hillary quickly pulled away from the kiss. “How are my brothers? Have you heard from them?”  
Scott nodded. “I talked to them. They’re okay. They’re hanging in there. Stop worrying about everybody else.”  
“Well somebody has to take care of them,” Hillary pointed out. _Now that mom’s gone_ she thought but didn’t say aloud.  
“And who takes care of you?” Scott asked, sadly sighing.  
“I take care of myself,” Hillary shrugged. “Always have. Always will. That’s never going to change.”  
“Well, I take care of you,” Scott pointed out.  
“No, Scott,” Hillary argued, taking a sip of her tea. “You _provide_ for me, yes.”  
“I think I do more than that,” Scott retorted, a bitter edge to his tone.  
“Do you?” Hillary glared at him.  
“Yes, Hillary,” Scott huffed. “I’m sorry I’m not _Bill_.”  
“Who said anything about Bill?” Hillary huffed, raising her eyebrows in surprise.  
“You didn’t have to say it,” Scott spat.  
“Shut up!” Hillary exclaimed. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
Scott shrugged. “I know that I love you and that you don’t feel the same way towards me.”  
“Scott, I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t love you,” Hillary argued. “You’re a wonderful man.”  
“Just not as amazing as Bill Fucking Clinton,” Scott bitterly said.  
“I never said that,” Hillary argued, glaring at Scott again.  
“Then why did you call him last night?”  
Hillary harshly sighed and tried not to tear up.  
“Did anything happen last night?” Scott asked with clenched fists and raised eyebrows.  
“No! Of course not!” Hillary insisted.  
“I’m sure he tried _something_ ,” Scott accused.  
“He didn’t,” Hillary shot back. “I swear.”  
“He is such a bastard,” Scott shook his head angrily.  
“He was just doing me a favor,” Hillary tried explaining. “I’m sorry.”  
“Well _, I_ wouldn’t have run to an ex if I were in your position.”  
“I said I was sorry!” Hillary teared up.  
“Okay, okay,” Scott sighed and wrapped his arms around his wife. “I’m sorry, too.”  
“And I’m sorry we lost another baby,” Hillary whispered through her tears.  
“It’s not your fault,” Scott tenderly kissed her cheek. “And the other baby is fine.”  
Hillary nodded and let out an exhausted sigh. She flopped back against the pillows. “We’ll be okay.”  
Scott nodded in return and squeezed her hand. “Everything is going to be okay eventually.”   
But would it be? 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, writing this chapter and revisiting it to edit and post it was brutal :( I feel like I made Hillary more of a crier in this fic than I feel like she is in real life but given the circumstances, I think its understandable that she's an emotional wreck right now. 
> 
> And just a heads up that updates might slow down because I'm starting a new job on Monday after being out of work the last few months! It's not the job I was going to start when I made my Author's Note at the end of Chapter 12 because I got another job interview and offer at the last minute and ended up accepting that opportunity instead. But luckily, this job should have a more regular and predictable schedule than the job I was originally going to take so I should still have time to write in the evenings and on weekends :) I'm aiming to update at least once a week from now on, probably on the weekends, but I'm not going to commit myself to a specific day or specific updating schedule just yet. 
> 
> I am getting tired so I'm going to reply to your comments on the last chapter and then head to bed but thanks as always for reading and I hope everybody has a nice weekend! :)


	16. Flames to Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for your well wishes in your comments on the last chapter! I had a long week but a good week haha. But I did miss writing, this universe, and these characters (okay, most of these characters lol) SO much though. I can't wait to hopefully get back to regularly writing and updating this fic in the near future :)

Later that week, Jessica tightly squeezed Hillary’s hand while they waited for Dorothy’s funeral service to begin.   
“Thanks, honey,” Hillary gratefully said in a shaky whisper, trying her best to keep her composure.   
“No problem.” Jessica gave her mom a reassuring smile.   
Hayley suddenly started squirming around in Hillary’s lap. Her face lit up when she turned around and noticed something. Or rather... someone.   
Jessica and Chelsea turned around to see what their baby sister was looking at. Jessica gasped in surprise when she realized Bill had slipped into the church unannounced at the last second and taken a seat in the very last pew.   
“Look,” Jessica whispered to her mother, slightly elbowing her.   
Hillary turned around to see what had caught her daughters attention and she couldn’t help but softly smile when she saw Bill. They met each other's eyes and Bill weakly smiled at her, giving her a slight wave. Hillary weakly smiled and returned the wave.   
Scott reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s back, not yet noticing that Bill had arrived at the funeral.   
As the service started, Hillary couldn’t help but try to casually turn around every now and then to take a few peaks at Bill. She noticed he was staring right at her, and not at the minister who was currently speaking.   
Hillary quickly looked away and busied herself with quietly trying to calm down Hayley who was still squirming around on Hillary’s lap. She sadly sighed to herself and ran her fingers through Hayley’s dark brown curls.   
Hayley turned around again and grinned as she stared at Bill, happily waving at him. “Daddy!” she happily cooed in a quiet voice.   
“What the hell?” Scott muttered, turning around to see who Hayley was waving at. He noticed Bill for the first time.   
“Scott. It’s okay,” Hillary leaned over and whispered. “He was very close with my mother. I told you that.”   
Scott opened his mouth to say something but Hillary cut him off before he could.   
“Stop it,” Hillary muttered. “His children just lost their grandmother who they were all very close with. He is here to support _them_. Say what you want about him but he’s an excellent father.” She turned her attention back to the service.   
“He wants you back, Hillary,” Scott whispered into her ear.   
“Will you shut up?” Hillary hissed, realizing people were starting to stare at the two of them, including Chelsea and Jessica. “Don’t make a scene right now. We are at my mother’s funeral!”   
Scott sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry.”   
Hillary rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the service, as she got ready to get up to go make the eulogy.   
  


* * * * * 

“Mama, daddy now?” Hayley sweetly asked as the funeral service ended and people started making their way out of the church and downstairs to the church basement for the reception afterwards.   
“Sure, sweetie,” Hillary nodded, as she started walking across the lobby of the church and over towards where Bill was standing.   
“My daddy!” Hayley excitedly cooed as Hillary brought her over to her dad.   
“How’s daddy’s princess!” Bill grinned as he reached out his arms for her.   
“Sad,” Hayley pouted. “Mama’s sad, daddy.”   
“I’m sorry, baby,” Bill squeezed her and turned to Hillary. “How are you holding up, Hill?”   
Hillary shrugged as she noticed Chelsea exiting the washroom out of the corner of her eye. “I’m as fine as I can possibly be right now I guess," Hillary answered as Chelsea ran over to Bill and hugged him tightly. She buried her head into her dad's chest.  
“Hey, Chels.” Bill leaned down and kissed the top of Chelsea’s curly hair. “I’ve missed you so much.”   
“I missed you, too!” Chelsea said, as she started crying, the emotions of the day and of losing Dorothy catching up to her. “So much!”   
“It’s okay, baby,” Bill soothed, rubbing Chelsea’s back with his free hand. “Don’t cry.”   
“I can’t help it,” Chelsea sniffed.   
“Do you want to go for a walk, Chels?” Bill offered.   
Chelsea nodded as she brushed away her tears with the back of her palms.   
“I think that’s a good idea,” Hillary nodded.   
Bill nodded. “We’ll be back in a few minutes, Hillary.”   
Hillary nodded again. “Thanks, Bill.”   
“Hayley, go, too?” Hayley sweetly asked.   
“Yes, you can come, too, Princess,” Bill chuckled at how sweet his youngest daughter was. 

Scott came up to Hillary from behind as Bill walked away with Chelsea and Hayley.   
“I’m sorry about earlier, Hill,” Scott wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you...And I think it's great that Bill came today.”   
“Yeah, right,” Hillary rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because you know that I’m mad at you right now."   
“No, I’m not,” Scott glared at her. “Don’t be a bitch, Hillary.”   
“Why don’t you just leave and go back to the hotel if you’re going to behave this way?” Hillary huffed.   
“Because I want to be with you right now,” Scott explained in a pleading tone. “I don’t understand why you hate me so much all of a sudden.”   
“Well, you literally _just_ called me a bitch for starters,” Hillary pointed out, giving her husband a pointed look as she held up her hand to excuse herself away from the group of her parents friends who were waiting to pay their respects to Hillary.   
“No, this has been going on for the past few weeks,” Scott argued as Hillary pulled him off to the side, away from everybody else who was milling about and socializing in the church lobby.   
“Are you serious right now?” Hillary huffed. “Everything was fine until my mom died. I’m just emotional between that and losing the baby.”   
“And I want to help you grieve and help you through this difficult time but you won’t let me,” Scott pointed out in an aggravated tone of voice   
“Because all you're concerned about is Bill!” Hillary argued.   
“No, that’s all _you’re_ concerned about,” Scott retorted, raising his right index finger in the air accusingly.   
“I am not!” Hillary yelled.   
“I hate fighting with you,” Scott harshly sighed. “Can we please just forget about all of this?”   
“You’re the one who keeps bringing it up,” Hillary huffed.   
“Fine, I’ll stop,” Scott relented. “Only because I’m sick of you being pissed off at me.”   
“And I’m sick of you being an insensitive jerk!” Hillary retorted.   
“I’m not trying to be!” Scott argued.   
“Scott, I just lost my mom—who was my best friend in the entire world—and a baby,” Hillary teared up. “I’m trying my best to process my emotions and grieve but you keep picking fights with me.”   
“Okay, I’m going to stop,” Scott sighed and wrapped his arms around his wife.   
“Thanks,” Hillary whispered as she nuzzled her head into Scott’s chest.   
“I am really sorry about your mom, baby,” Scott sadly sighed and rubbed her back soothingly.   
Hillary just nodded as Scott kissed the top of her head and pressed his head into her hair, inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo.   
“I’m going to go talk to Jess,” Hillary suddenly said as she saw Jessica—who was carrying Sophia in her car seat—leaving the washroom.   
Scott nodded. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”   
“Okay,” Hillary nodded before she made her way over to Jessica and Sophia. “Hey, sweetie,” she greeted. “How are you holding up?”   
“I’m okay,” Jessica said as her mom hugged her. She returned the hug with her free hand. “I’m holding up, I guess. How about you?”   
“I’ve had better days,” Hillary admitted with a watery chuckle.   
Jessica nodded understandingly and gave her mom a sympathetic smile. “Bill didn’t leave yet did he? I really wanted him to get to see Sophia before he left.”   
“He just went for a walk with Hayley and Chelsea but he’ll be back in a few minutes,” Hillary assured her oldest daughter.   
“Oh, good,” Jessica nodded and let out a sigh of relief. “I’m going to go find him if you don’t mind.”   
Hillary nodded, really wanting Bill and Jessica to reconcile. “I think that’s a good idea.”   
“See you in a few minutes,” Jessica said. She squeezed her mom’s shoulder reassuringly on her way out of the church.   
  


She found Bill, Chelsea, and Hayley standing outside in a grassy area that was next to the church. Chelsea and Bill were chuckling as they watched Hayley run around and burn off all her excess two and a half year old energy. Jessica nervously swallowed, put down Sophia’s car seat, scooped up Sophia into her arms and anxiously walked over to the three of them.   
Bill softly smiled as he saw her approaching. “Hey, Jessie.”   
“Hi,” Jessica said as she immediately teared up in relief at the sight of him. She had missed him more than she realized.   
“Come here, sweetheart,” Bill opened up his arms to her and stared at her softly.   
“I’ve missed you so much,” Jessica cried as she ran into Bill’s arms and tightly hugged her stepfather with her free hand.   
“I’ve missed you, too,” Bill said, pulling away from the hug to get a good look at her. “You look more and more like your mother every day.”   
Chelsea softly smiled over at the two of them before she grabbed Hayley’s hand and took her younger sister inside the church to let Bill and Jessica have a private father and daughter moment together.   
Jessica weakly smiled at her stepfather and then looked down at Sophia. “Do you want to meet my daughter?” she asked. “Again.” she chuckled.   
“Of course I do.” Bill smiled down at Sophia.   
“You remember Sophia,” Jessica slightly chuckled again. “She’s gotten a bit bigger since the last time you saw her.”   
“Hi, Sophia,” Bill smiled broadly. “I’m your grandpa.”   
“She’s a pretty happy and friendly baby,” Jessica tenderly smiled as Sophia happily cooed as she stared up at Bill.   
“She’s beautiful,” Bill complimented. “She looks just like you and your mom.”   
“Thank you,” Jessica quietly said as she passed the baby over to him. “I really want you to be a part of her life...If you want to be that is.”   
“Of course I want to be in her life,” Bill assured his stepdaughter, his eyes crinkling as he lovingly stared at Jessica.   
“I’m sorry I haven’t called or emailed you lately,” Jessica apologized with a small sigh. “I...I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”   
“No, _I’m_ the one who’s sorry,” Bill sincerely apologized in return. “Of course I want you in my life. You’re my daughter, too. Just as much as Chelsea and Hayley are. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression these last few months.” Bill frowned as he thought of all the mistakes he had made over the past year. “I have missed you and your sisters _so_ much.”   
Jessica slightly chuckled, giving Bill a bittersweet look. “I really missed you, too, Bill. You’ve been my best friend since I was three years old for God’s sake.”   
“And you’ll always be my little girl,” Bill softly looked at his daughter. “I don’t care what anyone says or thinks.”   
Jessica nodded as she teared up again. “Why did you have to cheat on mom, Bill? We could have still been a family.”   
“Because I’m a Goddamn idiot,” Bill harshly sighed. “I’m _so_ sorry, Jess. You know I would kill to have your mom back right now. I never meant to hurt any of you this way.”   
“She isn’t happy with Scott,” Jessica quietly said with a frown. “She just _thinks_ she is.”   
“Why do you say that?” Bill’s brow furrowed but he knew his daughter was absolutely right.   
“I know my mother just as well as you do, Bill. I can tell when she’s happy and when she’s faking.”   
Bill nodded in agreement.   
“She’s not going to leave Scott though,” Jessica sadly sighed. “She’s too noble.”   
“I know.” Bill harshly sighed.   
“Do you want to come inside and have a sandwich or something?” Jessica asked him, changing the subject, nodding towards the church.   
“Oh, I don’t think any of those people in there want to see or talk to me, sweetie,” Bill shook his head. “Not after what I did to your mother. I’m just going to head back to my hotel.”   
Jessica scoffed. “I think everyone would _love_ to see you, Bill. We all miss you. And you’re a heck of a lot more fun to talk to than stupid _Scott_ .”   
Bill gave a hearty chuckle at that.   
Jessica smirked. “Besides you have me, and Chelsea, and Hayley.” She held out her hand for her stepfather to take. “We don’t hate you,” Jessica teased.   
Bill laughed and grabbed Jessica’s hand while gently holding Sophia against his shoulder with his other hand. “Into the lion’s den we go.”   
  


* * * * *

Scott rolled his eyes as he watched all of Hillary’s family and friends happily greet Bill and talk to him. Bill was the life of the party like he always was in social settings and was bringing some much needed humor and fun to what was otherwise a depressing and dreary day. It helped that he was standing next to Jessica who everybody was also approaching to meet Sophia and fawn over her.   
“Can we go now?” Scott murmured to Hillary, from their spot near the refreshments table across the room from where Jessica and Bill (and Sophia) were standing.   
“No,” Hillary huffed. “We can’t leave yet.”   
“Why not?” Scott rolled his eyes again.   
“Because it’s _my_ mother’s funeral,” Hillary hissed. “How would that look if I just left now in the middle of the reception?”   
Scott sighed.   
“Stop being jealous of Bill,” Hillary said. “He was close with my friends and family, too. They haven’t seen him in a long time and they want to catch up.”   
“Yeah, whatever,” Scott huffed and took a sip of his Merlot.   
“Besides, Jessica’s right there, too. Most of those people just want to meet the baby,” Hillary explained.   
“I don’t think so,” Scott muttered angrily.   
“So now you’re jealous of a _baby_?” Hillary said incredulously. “You’re unbelievable.”   
“I am not—”   
Scott cut himself off as him and Hillary put on their forced ‘happy couple’ smiles when Betsy came over to talk to Hillary.   
  


* * * * *

“Hey, dad,” Chelsea said, coming over to where Jessica and Bill were standing with Hayley in her arms.   
“Hi, sweetheart,” Bill greeted with a smile.   
“Can we do something with you tonight?” Chelsea asked.   
Jessica nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we have to leave and go back to Connecticut tomorrow.”   
“Of course we can hang out tonight,” Bill nodded. “What do you girls want to do?”   
“Let’s just grab some dinner and then hang out in your hotel room,” Jessica suggested. "We could watch a movie or something."   
Bill nodded in agreement. “Sounds like fun. I know a great Italian place that we can go to,” he said as he grabbed Hayley from Chelsea.   
“Daddy,” Hayley cooed and gave Bill a sweet peck on the cheek.   
“I missed you so much,” Bill said, squeezing his youngest daughter tightly.   
“I’m going to go say bye to mom,” Chelsea said.   
Jessica nodded. “We should let her know of our plans and all say goodbye.”   
Bill nodded as he put Hayley down. “I’ll wait for you guys outside.”   
“See you in a few minutes,” Chelsea said, grabbing Hayley’s hand. 

The three girls walked across the room and over to their mother who was still chatting with Betsy.  
“Oh, hey girls,” Hillary weakly smiled at her daughters.   
“Hey, mom,” Jessica softly smiled. “Hi, Aunt Betsy.”   
“Hi, sweetheart,” Betsy smiled.   
“We’re going to spend the night with dad,” Chelsea softly said. “If that’s okay.”   
“All of you?” Hillary checked.   
Chelsea nodded.   
“Are you and Sophia going too?” Hillary asked Jessica.   
Jessica nodded and gave Hillary a pleading look. “I miss him _so_ much, mom.”   
Hillary nodded. “I know. I understand. Go ahead.”   
“Thanks,” Jessica quietly said.   
“Have fun with your dad,” Hillary said to the girls. “I love you, guys,” she said before giving them all hugs and kisses goodbye.   
“Bye, mama,” Hayley sweetly said as Hillary scooped her up to say goodbye.   
“Bye, baby girl,” Hillary cooed, giving Hayley a peck on the cheek. “Be good for your daddy and your sisters.”   
“Okay,” Hayley nodded. “Love you, mama.”   
“I love you, too, baby girl,” Hillary cooed before she passed Hayley back to Chelsea.   
“Bye, mom,” Jessica said, as she got Sophia settled in her car seat.   
“See ya,” Hillary said, waving goodbye to her daughters as they left. 

“Now, can we leave?” Scott asked Hillary, coming up to her after seeing Bill and the girls leaving.   
Hillary sighed. “I guess so.” Most of the guests had cleared out by then anyways and her brothers and their wives could take care of cleaning up. She didn’t want Scott to make a scene. “Where do you want to go? Back to the hotel?”   
“Well, it’s up to you,” Scott shrugged. “I just need to get out of here.”  
“We can grab a late lunch,” Hillary suggested, not really feeling like sitting around in her hotel room with Scott for the rest of the night.   
Scott nodded. “Perfect. Let’s go.”   
Hillary nodded and said her final goodbyes to the remaining friends and family members still at the reception before she let Scott take her hand and lead her outside to his rental car.   
“What are you in the mood for?” Hillary asked, remembering some of the restaurants she used to like when she lived in Chicago.   
“I don’t really care,” Scott shrugged. “Whatever you want.”   
“I’m honestly not even that hungry,” Hillary realized.   
Scott sighed. “You haven’t eaten properly in days, honey.”   
“I haven’t been hungry,” Hillary shrugged. Between the stress of everything going on, her grief, and the pregnancy she had been too nauseous to eat a proper meal the past few days. She had been subsisting off of ginger ale and saltine crackers.   
“Well that's not good for the baby." Scott frowned.   
Hillary sighed. “I want a burger,” she suddenly said, as she suddenly realized she _did_ have an intense craving for a nice juicy cheeseburger and fries. “I know a place.”   
“Perfect,” Scott said. “Burgers it is.” 

* * * * * 

“I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting,” Scott apologized as they were seated in a booth of the British themed pub that Hillary had taken him to.   
Hillary just nodded as Scott reached across the table and grabbed her hand.   
“Where did the girls go?” he asked.   
“With Bill,” Hillary answered.   
Scott nodded. “That’s nice. They should spend time with him. Besides, we haven’t had any alone time together this week.”   
“I know,” Hillary nodded in agreement as she busied herself skimming the menu even though not much on it had changed in the nearly twenty years since Hillary had last been there.   
“I thought of a baby name today,” Scott suddenly said, taking a sip of his water.   
“What is it?” Hillary asked, working up a small smile as she gently rubbed her abdomen.   
“Well, I don’t know a girl's name yet but I really like Jack for a boy.”   
“That’s really cute,” Hillary nodded. “I thought of a girl’s name the other night actually,” she admitted.   
“What is it?” Scott softly smiled at her.   
“Cassandra.”   
“I like that,” Scott nodded.   
“So it’s settled,” Hillary said as she rested both her hands on her stomach, feeling relaxed for the first time all week. “This baby is either a Cassandra or a Jack.” 

“I hope he or she looks like you,” Scott said after the waitress had taken their order.   
“No, I want her to look like you,” Hillary replied, brushing some lint off of her black skirt. “A girl version of you would be adorable.”   
“I’m so happy,” Scott smiled broadly.   
“That’s good,” Hillary nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear, not being able to work up any enthusiasm.   
“And I want to make _you_ happy.”   
“I am happy.” Hillary forced a smile.   
“No, you’re not,” Scott shook his head. “But I’m going to _make_ you happy.”   
“I’m already happy,” Hillary insisted. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”   
“I just don’t think you are,” Scott shrugged, as he tore open a packet of sweetener for his coffee that the waitress had just brought over.   
“I am happy, Scott,” Hillary said, taking a sip of her ginger ale, trying to keep her morning sickness at bay. “You’ve given me everything.”   
“Well, maybe that’s not enough,” Scott harshly sighed. “I love you _so_ much, Hillary. I don’t understand what else I need to do.”   
“I just told you I’m happy." Hillary raised her eyebrows in annoyance.   
“Fine, Hillary,” Scott sighed in annoyance. “Whatever you say.”   
  


* * * * * *

“How was it?” Scott asked a while later after they had finished up their late lunch/early dinner.   
“It hit the spot,” Hillary answered. “Clearly,” she chuckled, as her plate of what had formerly been a double cheeseburger and fries was now empty.   
Scott chuckled, glad that Hillary had eaten a proper meal for the first time in days. “Where to now?” he asked as he got his wallet out to pay for their meal. “Back to the hotel or do you want to stay at Betsy’s tonight?”   
“Let’s go to Betsy’s,” Hillary said. “I need a nap and her place feels more like home than the hotel does.”   
Scott nodded in agreement and waved their server over for the cheque. 

* * * * * 

“Hi!” Betsy greeted from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner after Scott and Hillary let themselves in with the spare key that Betsy had let them borrow that week.   
“Hey,” Hillary weakly smiled at her best friend.   
“You okay?” Betsy checked with her, noticing that Hillary looked absolutely exhausted.   
Hillary shrugged and nodded.   
Betsy popped the chicken and rice casserole she had been working on into the oven and came over to give Hillary a hug.   
“The funeral service was nice,” Betsy remarked, gently rubbing Hillary’s arms.   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “It was,” she said as she pulled away from the hug. She reached over and squeezed Scott’s hand. “We're going to go take a nap now.”   
“Of course.” Betsy nodded understandingly. "Get some rest."   
Hillary nodded and led Scott upstairs to the guest bedroom. 

After changing out of their funeral clothes and into something comfier, they both crawled into bed together and relaxed as they cuddled up to each other.   
“Come here,” Scott said as he wrapped his arms around Hillary and spooned her body.   
Hillary weakly smiled to herself as Scott kissed the top of her head.   
“You’re so gorgeous,” Scott murmured, as he stroked her long blonde hair.   
“Hush.” Hillary blushed at the compliment.   
Scott smiled as he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. He cupped her cheek as Hillary deepened the kiss, enjoying having the time to actually relax for the first time all week.   
After breaking apart for air, Hillary turned around so she was facing him.   
“Hi,” Scott softly smiled down at her.   
“Hey,” Hillary said quietly, cuddling up to him.   
“How are you doing?” Scott asked, rubbing her back.   
“I’ve been better,” Hillary admitted, shrugging.   
Scott nodded. “I am really sorry about everything that has happened this week.”   
Hillary shrugged.   
“Hey, don’t pretend to be indifferent,” Scott frowned as he gently stroked her hair.   
Hillary stared up at him and suddenly teared up.   
“Shhh,” Scott soothed as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.   
“I’m not being indifferent,” Hillary said through her tears.   
“You keep shrugging,” Scott pointed out.   
“Because I feel like I’m about to have a nervous breakdown,” Hillary admitted in a shaky voice.   
“Oh, Hillary,” Scott frowned as he cupped her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, honey.”   
Hillary took a deep breath as she tried her best to stop crying.   
“You need to let it out, Hillary.”   
“I’m okay,” she insisted.   
“No, you’re not.”   
“Fine,” Hillary sighed. “You’re right. I’m just really sad that I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to my mom before she died. And I hate myself for it.” She frowned.   
“Oh, Hilly,” Scott sadly sighed. “Your mother knew that you loved her.”   
“Don’t call me Hilly!” Hillary suddenly snapped.   
“Why not?” Scott scoffed in annoyance   
“Just don’t,” she glared at Scott. “I never liked that nickname,” she lied, not telling him the real reason it made her uncomfortable. Only Bill was allowed to use that nickname for her.   
“What is this really about?” Scott asked, knowing she was lying.   
“It’s about me not liking you calling me Hilly.” Hillary shrugged again.   
“Yeah,” Scott glared at her. “It seems you don’t like anything I do lately.”   
“Scott,” Hillary sighed in frustration. “I just want you to call me something else. Okay?”   
“But why?” Scott sighed, feeling annoyed and confused.   
“I already told you,” Hillary raised her eyebrows. “Why are you making such a big deal about this anyways? You never called me that before until literally just now.”   
“Well, I like it as a nickname,” Scott shrugged. “It’s cute and _you’re_ cute.”   
“Scott, stop it,” Hillary huffed. “I’ve asked you not to call me that so drop it.” She burrowed herself underneath the covers.   
“Damn it, Hillary!” Scott exclaimed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you nowadays.”   
“And I don’t know why you’re angry,” Hillary said, raising her voice as she sat up in bed. “Why can’t you just respect that I don’t want you to call me that?”   
“Because it’s a fucking nickname, Hillary,” Scott rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big a deal.”   
“It is a big deal if I _don’t_ like it,” Hillary argued.   
“Why are you being like this?” Scott frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”   
“That’s ludicrous,” Hillary rolled her eyes.   
“Is it though?” Scott asked. “You don’t treat me like I’m your husband.”   
“You are _insane_ , Scott!” Hillary argued. “Of course I do.”   
“Really?” Scott accused. “Because you never open up to me and you’ve always got a reason to be pissed off at me.”   
“I always talk to you when I’m going through something,” Hillary retorted. “Yes, the last couple of days have been rough emotionally and I’m trying to process and work through everything that’s happened.”   
“Well, let me help you,” Scott urged, squeezing her hands.   
“You can start by not picking stupid fights with me,” Hillary pointed out.   
“ _I’m_ the one picking fights?” Scott accused. “I’m pretty sure it's the other way around.”   
“I just asked you for one simple thing and you completely blew it out of proportion,” Hillary explained.   
Scott harshly sighed. “Okay. Fine. Whatever, Hillary. I’m _actually_ going to take a nap now.”   
“Fine,” Hillary huffed. “Me, too.”   
“Great.” Scott nodded harshly as he pulled the blankets up and over them.   
“Why are you so mean?” Hillary sobbed out as she started crying again.   
“Hillary, I’m not being mean,” Scott sighed.   
“Yes you are!” Hillary cried. “You’ve been a jerk ever since you got here. You’re not the man I married.”   
“Well, you’re being way too sensitive!” Scott accused.   
“Oh, and I wonder why?”   
Scott rolled his eyes at her.   
Hillary sadly sighed as she lay down. “Please. I’m not up for anymore fighting.”   
Scott sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’m not _trying_ to be mean. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”   
Hillary nodded right as a wave of nausea hit her. (Why did they call it morning sickness when it hit at any damn time of the day it pleased?) She quickly covered her mouth and ran to the guest bathroom across the hall.   
Scott ran after her and gently held her hair back.   
“Ugh, thanks,” Hillary groaned after she was finished. She quickly wiped her mouth off. “I hate morning sickness,” she sighed.   
Scott sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, gently kissing the top of her head.   
“Can you get me some ginger ale, please?” She asked. “Betsy should have some in her fridge.”   
Scott nodded. “Of course. Be right back.” 

* * * * *

“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said when Scott had come back a few minutes later with a nice ice cold can of ginger ale. “Ugh, I hate morning sickness.”  
“I’m sorry,” Scott frowned and sighed, climbing back into bed with her.   
Hillary shrugged. “It is what it is.”   
“I’m sorry,” Scott said again as he wrapped his arms around her.   
“I don’t want to fight anymore,” Hillary suddenly said, cuddling up to him and wrapping her arms around him in return.   
“Me neither,” Scott agreed, squeezing her.   
“I love you.”   
“I love you, too, sweetie.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s try not to fight, okay? I hate fighting with you.”   
Hillary nodded. “I agree.”   
Scott nodded and picked up the television remote from the nightstand. “How about some TV while we try to get some rest?”   
Hillary nodded slightly. “Okay,” She said quietly.   
Scott nodded as he found a rerun of _Top Chef_ for them to watch. Hillary snuggled up to her husband as they relaxed into each other’s embrace. 

To Be Continued… 


	17. Change of Plans

Hillary quietly groaned to herself as she finished applying her makeup with the last few final coats of dark black mascara and stood up from her vanity table when she was finished. She reached behind her and started rubbing and gently massaging her lower back which had been killing her all day. She was eight months pregnant, swollen everywhere, and was tired of feeling like an oversized whale. She was relieved that the baby had made it to almost full-term. Considering her age and the miscarriage of the baby’s twin, the rest of her pregnancy had been healthy and relatively uneventful which Hillary was grateful for. And while she was very thankful that all of the tests and ultrasounds that had been done so far showed that the baby was perfectly healthy and developing normally, she was ready for the kid to be born like _now_ even though she still had one more month to go.   
“Scott, I _really_ don’t feel like going to this thing,” she complained, waddling into the bedroom where Scott was getting dressed for the party they were supposed to attend together that night. One of his clients was launching a perfume, some twentysomething reality TV star Hillary had never heard of, and Scott and Hillary had been invited to the launch party. “My back is killing me.” Hillary loudly groaned.   
Her back _was_ killing her but other than that, she just didn’t feel like going to a fancy party in the city filled with celebrities when she was eight months pregnant. She didn’t even know or care about Scott’s client or her stupid perfume line. She would have much rather preferred a relaxing night in with her husband, staying in bed and watching movies.   
“Please come with me,” Scott begged, putting on his cufflinks. “I bought you a new dress specifically for tonight, Hill. It’ll be fun. Come on. This is probably the last time we’ll be able to go out before the baby comes.”   
Hillary sighed to herself. “Scott, I’m _so_ sore and bloated right now. Can we just stay home and watch a movie or something?”   
“No!” Scott scoffed. “Everyone is expecting me to be there and I need to show you off.” He winked.   
“Scott!” Hillary groaned. “I’m not a trophy wife,” she glared at him.   
“I didn’t say you were!” Scott argued, getting frustrated with his wife. “I just wanted us to have a nice night out in the city before the baby comes. Is that too much to ask? Besides, Jess is already on her way over here to help Chelsea babysit Hayley.”   
“I feel really huge,” Hillary huffed. “I look hideous in everything I try on.”   
“We’ll just stay for a few minutes,” Scott sighed, as he attempted to make a compromise. “Then we can come home and watch a movie. Okay?”   
“You always say that!” Hillary argued. “And then we’re stuck there for hours while you schmooze with everyone.” She rolled her eyes.   
“Damn it, Hillary!” Scott angrily exclaimed. “Why can’t we ever do anything _I_ want to do? I let you drag me to all of _your_ work functions.”   
“I just don’t feel like getting dressed up tonight, Scott!” Hillary argued. “I’m exhausted and I’m swollen everywhere!” she added in an uncharacteristic whine.   
“Please, honey,” Scott pleaded. “We’ll only stay for an hour, tops.”   
“Ugh, fine,” Hillary groaned, giving in, sick of arguing with Scott. “I’ll go get dressed.” 

* * * * * *

She emerged from her walk-in closet a few minutes later carrying a pair of dark blue maternity jeans, a loose and flowy short-sleeved black blouse, and a black blazer to throw on over top of the blouse.   
“Wear the new dress I bought you, please,” Scott requested, as he spritzed on his cologne.   
Hillary rolled her eyes. “Fine.”   
She entered her walk-in closet again and found the emerald green maternity cocktail dress Scott had purchased for her a few days prior for her to wear to the event tonight. 

* * * * * *

While Hillary was getting changed, the doorbell suddenly rang.   
“Hey!” Jessica forced a smile when Scott answered the door a few minutes later. Holding Sophia in her right arm with the toddler propped up against her right hip and Sophia’s diaper bag in her other arm, she entered the house after Scott let her in.   
“Hi, Jess,” Scott greeted. “Thank you _so_ much for helping Chelsea out tonight.”   
“No problem,” Jess replied. “Your house is cooler than mine,” she winked. Honestly, Chelsea (who was home from college on summer break) could handle Hayley perfectly well on her own and didn’t really need Jessica’s help but Jessica and Sophia _did_ enjoy spending time at Hillary and Scott’s mansion more than they did staying at their own townhouse a few streets away from Hillary's house. And besides, Jessica wanted to spend as much quality time as possible with her younger sister while Chelsea was home from college.   
Chelsea came downstairs, with Hayley in tow after hearing Jessica’s voice.   
“Hey!” Jessica excitedly greeted her younger sisters.   
“Hi!” Chelsea grinned.   
“Jessie!” Hayley squealed.   
“Hi, baby girl!” Jessica grinned just as Hillary started waddling down the stairs and into the foyer.   
“Hi, mom,” Jessica softly smiled, looking up at her. “You look pretty,” she complimented.   
Hillary scoffed.   
“You look gorgeous,” Scott complemented his wife, agreeing with Jessica.   
“I’m so huge though,” Hillary loudly groaned, rubbing her very large baby bump.   
“You look great,” Chelsea assured her mother. “Is she kicking?”   
Hillary nodded as she grabbed her purse from the bench it was sitting on near the front door. “Yep. She’s _very_ active right now.” She chuckled as Jessica and Chelsea put their hands on her stomach to feel.   
“Aww.” Jessica smiled to herself as she felt a kick against her hand.   
Hillary sighed seeing the car Scott had ordered to drive them into the city, pulling up in front of the house after Scott had opened the gate for the driver. “Let’s go,” she said to Scott with another sigh. “I’ll see you girls, later. We won’t be out too late.”   
Jessica nodded. “No problem. Have fun.”   
“Bye, mama!” Hayley said, cutely waving.   
“Bye, sweetie!” Hillary weakly smiled at her youngest daughter.   
“See you girls later,” Scott echoed Hillary’s earlier statement before he grabbed his wife’s hand and led her out to the waiting limousine.

* * * * *

“This is going to be a nice night. I promise,” Scott assured his wife once they were settled in the back seat of the car. “You’ll like Kim. I promise. She’s great.”   
Hillary just shrugged indifferently.   
Scott sighed and frowned before he looked his wife up and down. “Will you take your hair down please?”   
“I like it up,” Hillary retorted.   
“Please,” Scott begged. “It looks nicer down.”   
Hillary groaned and rolled her eyes before she reluctantly took her hair out of its clip and shook it loose until it was hanging down just past her shoulders. She glared at Scott as she ran her fingers through it.   
“You look great,” Scott grinned at her, squeezing her hand. “You look fantastic actually.”   
“Really?” Hillary smiled sheepishly.   
“Really,” Scott assured her. “You’re going to be the hottest woman there.”   
_Not in a room full of twenty year olds_ Hillary sarcastically thought but she didn’t voice that thought to her husband. She restrained herself from wanting to roll her eyes and managed to force a smile at Scott.   
“I love you,” she said. “I’m sorry I was being such a bitch earlier,” she apologized as Scott leaned over and kissed her cheek.   
“It’s okay,” Scott assured her. “You’re hormonal,” he chuckled. He leaned over and kissed her cheek again. “I’m so lucky to have you as my wife.”   
Hillary softly smiled over at him.   
“I promise we’ll relax and watch a movie tonight when we get home,” Scott said, squeezing her hand.   
Hillary nodded and squeezed her husband’s hand in return. “Thank you.” 

* * * * *

“Um, can we go in the back way?” Hillary nervously asked her husband as they pulled up to the nightclub where the party was being held and noticed a red carpet set up outside. Hillary really didn’t feel like having her picture taken tonight. Not when she felt swollen and bloated _everywhere_.  
“No,” Scott shook his head. “I want our picture taken with Kim and her sisters. They’re my friends.”   
“Scott, I _really_ don’t feel like it,” Hillary groaned, looking at her husband with pleading eyes.   
“No, Hillary. We’re walking the carpet and getting our picture taken,” Scott angrily insisted. “I wish you’d stop complaining. All you do is complain.” He rolled his eyes.   
“I’m eight months pregnant, Scott,” Hillary moaned. “I think I’ve earned my right to complain.”   
“God, you act like you’re the only woman who has ever been pregnant,” Scott rolled his eyes again. “I’m pretty sure no one else complains as much as you do.”   
“You’d be surprised,” Hillary muttered to herself.   
Scott huffed and got out of the car. Hillary sighed and followed suit, slinging the gold chain of her clutch black purse over her shoulder.   
  


“I can’t go out there!” Hillary suddenly exclaimed a few seconds later.  
“Hillary, I didn’t buy you an expensive dress for nothing,” Scott glared at his wife.   
“No, I actually can’t go to the party, Scott,” Hillary sucked her breath as she clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain.   
“What now?” Scott rolled his eyes.   
“My stomach hurts,” Hillary moaned, wincing in pain.   
“Fine! We’ll go in through the back entrance!” Scott gave in, thinking his wife was faking to make a point.   
“No, I can’t go to the party at all, Scott!” Hillary exclaimed. “I think I’m in labor.” She winced again.   
“Damn it!” Scott groaned. He harshly sighed before he wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist and led her back over to the car.   
“We need to go to the nearest hospital,” Scott informed the driver as he helped Hillary into the backseat.   
“Quickly! Please!” Hillary gasped as a sharp stab of pain shot through her stomach.   
“You still have another month to go!” Scott frantically exclaimed as the driver started quickly driving through the New York City traffic to get them to the hospital.   
“You think I don’t know that!?” Hillary nervously exclaimed as she doubled over in pain again. “ _Fuck_ ,” she moaned to herself, both from the pain but also the stress and uncertainty of the situation.   
Scott gently stroked Hillary’s hand after she grabbed for his. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he frowned.   
Hillary shook her head. “Don’t. You’re terrible to me.”   
“I’d like to see someone else treat you better,” Scott scoffed. “You’re impossible.” He rolled his eyes and angrily shook his head.   
Hillary winced in pain, ignoring her husband’s remarks.   
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Scott sighed a few minutes later. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve just been stressed out lately.”   
Hillary just glared at Scott in return.   
“Hang in there,” Scott said, putting a hand on her round, protruding stomach. He leaned over and pecked her cheek as the limo pulled up to the entrance of the Emergency Room.

* * * * * *

  
A few minutes later after Hillary had been admitted and taken to an Exam Room, a thirtysomething brunette male doctor came in and started hooking Hillary up to a fetal monitor. “Let’s see what’s going on.”   
“Is my baby okay?” Hillary groaned in pain.   
“Well...you're not having contractions,” the doctor answered, looking at the fetal monitor with a confused expression on his face.   
“Then what the hell is going on?” Hillary exclaimed, wincing in pain. “It hurts _so_ bad!” she moaned loudly.   
“Help her for God’s sake!” Scott loudly exclaimed.   
“We need to run some tests and do an ultrasound,” the doctor calmly explained.   
“Great,” Hillary sighed. She reached for Scott’s hand which Scott took and reassuringly squeezed.   
The young ER Resident paged for an OB Consult and set up the ultrasound machine.   
Hillary nervously sighed as Scott stroked her long blonde hair.   
“It’s okay,” he soothed.   
“Can you phone the kids?” Hillary asked.   
“Of course." Scott nodded and pulled his Blackberry out of his suit pocket.   
“Hello?” Chelsea answered after a few rings.   
“Hey, Chels,” Scott sighed. “I just wanted to let you and Jess know that your mom’s in the hospital.”   
“What?” Chelsea loudly gasped. “Why?”   
“She thought she was going into labor,” Scott explained. “She’s not having contractions but she’s still in a lot of pain so they’re going to run some tests.”   
“Oh no!” Chelsea gasped again. “Can I talk to her?”   
“Sure,” Scott said, passing his phone over to Hillary.   
“Hi, honey,” Hillary said after she took the phone from Scott, trying to keep her voice steady.   
“Hey, mom,” Chelsea said. “Hold on, I'm going to put you on speaker phone.”   
“Hi, mom,” Jessica said a second later.   
“Hi, sweetie,” Hillary softly smiled to herself, hearing her daughter’s voices.   
“You okay?” Jessica asked.   
“Not really,” Hillary quietly answered in an uncharacteristic scared and vulnerable sounding tone of voice.   
“Well, we’ll take care of things here at home,” Chelsea confidently assured her mom.   
“Everything’s going to be okay, mom,” Jessica said in a calm and reassuring tone.   
“I hope so,” Hillary nervously sighed again.   
“We love you,” Chelsea said.   
"“I love you girls, too,” Hillary said.   
“Call us when you have an update,” Jessica piped in.   
“Of course,” Hillary assured her girls. “See you girls later, hopefully." She was _really_ hoping that she wouldn't have to be admitted to the hospital. "I love you.”   
The girls said their goodbyes, with another promise from Hillary that she would call them back when she had any news to report, and hung up right before the doctor started doing an ultrasound.   
Hillary let out a huge sigh of relief once she heard the _whoosh_ of the baby’s heartbeat.   
“Heart beat’s nice and strong,” the doctor assured the worried parents.   
“Well, that’s good,” Hillary said, feeling somewhat relieved. “What’s going on then?”   
“I’m not sure yet,” the doctor frowned. “I’m going to have to draw some blood because I think you might have some sort of an infection.”   
“Great,” Hillary harshly sighed, feeling both frustrated and scared.   
“Just do whatever you have to do,” Scott said as the doctor asked the nurse to set up for a blood draw.

* * * * * *

  
“I’ll send this down to the lab right away and we’ll see what’s going on,” the doctor said a few minutes later after Hillary’s blood had been taken.   
Scott nodded and reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s back. “Thank you, doctor.”   
The doctor and nurse nodded and left the room to give the couple some privacy.   
“I’m sorry I was mean to you earlier,” Scott apologized.   
“Shh, don’t worry about that now.” Hillary was more preoccupied with whether the baby was okay or not, than she was over the state of her marriage at that moment.   
“I won’t be able to take it if something is _really_ wrong,” Scott nervously said. “We’ve been trying to have a baby for months. I couldn’t take losing the baby now when we’ve already come this far.”   
“Shush, don’t think that way,” Hillary chastised her husband before she suddenly had a thought. “I want to go to Paris.”   
Scott lightly chuckled. “Well, that came out of left field.”   
Hillary softly smiled. “For that honeymoon we never took. I want to go to Paris. Maybe we can go next spring.” She shrugged slightly. “I’m just trying to get my mind off of this,” she explained, slightly chuckling.   
“We can go to Paris some time,” Scott agreed, softly chuckling and nodding. “Next spring would be perfect.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary weakly smiled at Scott just as a thirtysomething Latina doctor with long reddish brown hair in a side braid and light blue scrubs came into the exam room. She kindly smiled at Hillary.   
“Hi, Mrs. Graham. I’m Doctor Gabriella Marquez, I’m the OB Resident on call right now. We got your test results back.”   
“Okay,” Hillary nervously nodded. “So what’s going on then?”   
“Your blood test confirms that it is indeed an infection,” Dr. Marquez nodded. “You and your baby should be fine. However this is a very serious complication. I was able to reach your regular OB, Dr. Thompson, and after consulting with her over the phone, we agree that because of the infection and your age, it's best to be on strict bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy to prevent further complications.”   
“Are you serious?” Hillary groaned to herself. Bed rest for at least a month did not sound appealing _at all_. She wasn’t one to lay around in bed all day and never had been.   
“At least you two are healthy,” Scott pointed out with a sad sigh.   
“Yeah,” Hillary let out a disappointed sigh. “This is just inconvenient.”   
“Well we’ll figure it out,” Scott assured her, squeezing her hand.   
“Can I go home now?” Hillary asked Dr. Marquez with another annoyed sigh.   
Dr. Marquez nodded. “I’ll get your discharge orders ready.”   
“Thank you,” Scott nodded and leaned down to gently peck Hillary’s forehead. “So, it looks like we’re staying in tonight and watching a movie after all.” 

  
  
To Be Continued…   
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...not much to say about this chapter. Not that I can think of right now anyways. My brain is fried lol. Had to do a bit of a time jump because this story will already be long enough haha. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little update. The next one will probably be up by next Friday or Saturday night if I don't get to updating before then. I hope you all have a great weekend. Until next time :)


	18. The Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this felt like the longest week ever heading into a long weekend, especially the last two days. BUT its finally Friday (or technically Saturday by now LOL) so y'all know what that means! Time for an update :D

One month later, Jessica, Chelsea, Sophia, and Hayley were all cuddled up with Hillary in her and Scott’s king-sized bed while they all watched a movie together.   
“Thanks so much for keeping me company, girls.” Hillary smiled down at them. She was sick and tired of being on bed rest after nearly a month of it but the company of her daughters and granddaughter definitely had kept her sane that month and was helping her through it.   
“No problem, mama.” Jessica smiled up at her. When she wasn’t writing her Master’s Thesis or working, she was trying to spend as much of her free time as possible with her mother before the baby came.   
Hillary smiled as Scott walked through the door of the master bedroom, carrying a bowl of the chicken and vegetable soup he had made her for lunch, on a tray. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said gratefully. She had to admit, the past month while she had been confined to the bed except for trips to the bathroom, Scott had really stepped up with taking care of her, Chelsea and Hayley, and doing all of the household chores and tasks that needed to be done on a daily basis.   
“No problem,” Scott said to Hillary with a charming smile as he passed her the tray and gently got it situated on her lap/bump.   
“My feet are really swollen,” Hillary groaned as she started digging into her soup. “Can you massage them for me please?”   
“Of course,” Scott nodded.   
“ _Thank you_ ," Hillary gratefully said as he started gently rubbing them for her.   
“Baby,” Hayley said, cuddling into Hillary’s side.   
“That’s right,” Hillary nodded and ate another spoonful of soup. “The baby’s going to be here _really_ soon.”   
“Can you say Cassandra, Hayley?” Scott asked, still massaging Hillary’s feet.   
“Mmmm….no,” Hayley shook her head. “Baby.”   
Hillary chuckled at her youngest daughter. “Ugh, I want to get up and do _something_!” Hillary complained, one hundred percent _over_ being on bed rest by now. “Anything!” She huffed in annoyance. “And it’s so hot!”   
“Yeah, mom. Of course it’s hot. It’s July,” Chelsea pointed out, chuckling.   
“I know and I’m dying!” Hillary whined. “And ugh...I have to pee. Somebody help me up.” She started pushing the tray with her soup away from her.   
“Sweetie,” Scott chuckled. “You _just_ went to the bathroom less than half an hour ago.”   
“Yeah, well. This baby is playing soccer with my bladder,” Hillary groaned.   
Scott chuckled again and started helping her up as Chelsea set the tray with her lunch on it on the nightstand.   
“Ugh, I want this kid out of me,” Hillary moaned. “ _Now._ ”   
“Well, it won’t be much longer, baby,” Scott pointed out. “Just a few more days.”   
“My back is killing me,” Hillary groaned as she gently rubbed her lower back.   
“Sorry, baby,” Scott frowned as he helped her to the ensuite master bathroom.   
Hillary huffed in annoyance as she entered the bathroom and closed the door. 

* * * * *

“You are so huge, mom,” Jessica said as Hillary waddled back to bed.   
“Shut up,” Hillary glared at her as she crawled back into bed with some help from Jessica and Chelsea. She suddenly winced in pain.   
“What is it?” Scott asked, panic showing across his face.   
“Just a Braxton Hicks contraction,” Hillary explained, not seeming concerned at all.   
Scott nodded and sighed in relief.   
“I need to get to work and I need to get this one to the sitter’s house,” Jessica said, scooping up Sophia. “So I’ll see you guys later.”   
“Bye, sweetie,” Hillary hugged her goodbye. “Thanks for coming over today. I love you.”   
“Love you, too.” Jessica squeezed her mother and gently smiled. “Bye, Scott.”   
“See you later.”   
Jessica left a few minutes later after her and Sophia had said their goodbyes to Chelsea and Hayley.   
Chelsea stayed with Hillary for a few more minutes while Hillary finished eating her lunch before Chelsea decided to go read outside on the patio since it was a beautiful summer day.   
“So, it’s just us for a few hours, I guess,” Scott pointed out after Chelsea had left.   
“Looks that way,” Hillary nodded.   
“Mama,” Hayley said, cuddling into Hillary’s side again.   
Hillary smiled down at her. “It’s your nap time, little one.”   
“I’ll go put her down,” Scott offered.   
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”   
  


Scott promptly scooped Hayley up and carried her down the hallway to her bedroom.   
“Scott, I want my daddy,” Hayley quietly said as Scott put her down and tucked her into bed.   
“Sweetie, you and your sisters are going to visit your daddy next month,” Scott patiently explained.   
“But I want my daddy now,” Hayley simply said.   
Scott sighed. “Sweetheart, your daddy’s _really_ far away.”   
Hayley frowned and teared up. “Then I want Mama.”   
Scott sighed and scooped her up again. He carried her back to the master bedroom.   
“She’s crying for Bill,” Scott explained, placing her down on the bed besides Hillary.   
“Oh no. Not again,” Hillary frowned and sighed.   
“Mama!” Hayley loudly cried. “I want daddy!”   
“Shh, sweetheart. It’s okay,” Hillary soothed, wrapping her arms around Hayley and gently squeezing her.   
“Daddy never holds me,” Hayley wailed.   
“How about mama holds you?” Hillary asked, squeezing her again. “Is that okay for right now?”   
“Daddy doesn’t love me,” Hayley sobbed.   
Hillary frowned and harshly sighed. “Sweetheart, daddy _does_ love you. He loves you _so_ much. Daddy just lives _really_ far away.”   
Hayley continued crying, Hillary’s words not doing much to assuage her.   
“You’re seeing Daddy next month,” Hillary pointed out, soothingly rubbing Hayley’s back. “Remember? You and Jessie and Chelsea, and Baby Sophia are going to get on an airplane to go see Daddy? Won’t that be exciting?”   
“But I want Daddy now!” Hayley wailed. “Please, mama!”   
“Hayley, I can’t bring Daddy here,” Hillary harshly sighed, feeling guilt overcome her.   
_As much as I wish I could_ … she thought, sharing Hayley’s sentiments but not daring to speak them aloud to Scott.   
Hillary frowned as Hayley clung to her side, still crying inconsolably.   
Hillary sighed. “Scott, pass me the phone please.”   
Scott nodded and grabbed the cordless phone out of its cradle on the nightstand, passing it over to Hillary.   
Hillary quickly dialed Bill’s number.   
“Hello?” He answered after the third ring.   
“Hey,” Hillary said softly. “It’s me.”   
“Oh, hi,” Bill said, sounding surprised to hear from her.   
Um, Hayley is freaking out,” Hillary explained. “She _really_ misses you. Is there any way you can come to my neck of the woods for a few days to visit the girls before they go visit you next month?”   
“I’m really busy here, Hillary,” Bill sighed. “It’s the middle of the summer semester.”   
“Okay,” Hillary sighed. “I figured that. Can you at least talk to her right now? She has been really sad lately and she _really_ misses you.”   
“Yes. Of course,” Bill said softly. “Put her on. And maybe I can move some things around and try to come for a short visit.”   
“Thank _you_ ,” Hillary gratefully said. “If I wasn’t pregnant and on bed rest, you know I’d bring her to Fayetteville myself.”   
“No, I know,” Bill said quietly. “I understand. Let me talk to her right now and I’ll call you later tonight. I’ll see if I can get a TA to cover for me for a couple of days.”   
“Thanks, Bill,” Hillary let out a sigh of relief before she held the phone up to Hayley’s ear.   
“Hi, my sweet girl,” Bill drawled on the other end of the phone.   
“Daddy?” Hayley sniffled. “I love you!”   
“I love you, too, Princess,” Bill said. “I miss you _so_ much, baby girl. I wish I could hug you and cuddle you and give you kisses.”   
“No, Daddy never holds Hayley. Daddy doesn’t love Hayley,” Hayley sniffled, reverting to talking about herself in the third person.   
“I do love you, Hayley,” Bill insisted, sounding hurt. “I love you so so _so_ much.”   
“I want you to hold me, daddy,” Hayley said quietly.   
“Baby, I can’t hold you right now,” Bill sadly sighed. “But I’ll see you _very_ very soon.”   
“But daddy, I love you!” Hayley loudly whined.   
“I love you, too, Hayley,” Bill soothingly said. “You need to take your nap now, okay? I’ll call you tonight. Let me talk to Mama again.”   
Hillary held the phone back up to her own ear.   
“Hey, Hill,” Bill sadly sighed. “Listen, I’m going to fly out today if I can get on a flight. I _hate_ hearing her sound so sad. She thinks I don’t love her anymore.”   
“Okay, that sounds great,” Hillary said, nodding to herself even though she knew Bill couldn’t see her.   
“And how are you doing?” Bill asked her, sounding genuinely curious. “No baby yet I guess?”   
“Nope, not yet,” Hillary answered. “And I’m _miserable_ because I can’t get out of this stupid bed.”   
Bill chuckled. “Well, it’ll be practically any day now. I’m sure you're ready.” He knew that being on bed rest must be mentally and emotionally draining on Hillary seeing as she had never been one to lay around in bed, even when she was sick or injured. She was always a ‘go, go, go’ kind of person.   
“I am _so_ ready,” Hillary chuckled. “Anyways, I’m gonna go now.”   
“Alright,” Bill said. “I guess I’ll see you in a few hours when I come to pick up Chelsea and Hayley.”   
“Yeah, I guess so,” Hillary quietly said.   
“I’ll text you if I’m able to get a flight,” Bill added.   
“Okay,” Hillary nervously swallowed. “Sounds good.”   
“Alright,” Bill said. “Talk to you later. Bye.”   
“Bye,” Hillary said before she hung up. “Guess what?” She said, looking down at Hayley. “He’s coming to see you today, baby girl.”   
Hayley’s face lit up as she happily cuddled into Hillary’s side and wrapped her arms around Hillary just above her baby bump.   
“Thank you, mama!” She squealed, her mood instantly lifted. “I love you!”   
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Hillary grinned down at her youngest daughter and gently rubbed her back. “And now it’s nap time, honey. Okay?” She started getting out of bed and scooped Hayley up once she was in a standing position.   
“Hillary! Get back in bed!” Scott scolded.   
“What?” Hillary sighed in frustration. “It’s just a few steps down the hallway. I’m only taking her to her bedroom.”   
“No, lay down!” Scott ordered firmly.   
“Scott, _please,_ ” Hillary begged. “Just let me walk down the hall. _Please_.”   
“I said no.” Scott vigorously shook his head.   
Hillary rolled her eyes. Ignoring Scott, she carried Hayley down the hallway to her bedroom.   
“What the hell, Hillary?” Scott exclaimed, following the two of them.   
“I’m perfectly fine, Scott,” Hillary insisted, putting Hayley into her bed and tucking her in.   
“You’re not supposed to be out of bed!” Scott argued, reaching for Hillary’s hand.   
“Really, Scott. I’m fine,” Hillary insisted, waving him off.   
“No, Hillary,” Scott said, grabbing her by the arm. “You’re driving me crazy.” He chuckled. “You are _too_ stubborn.”   
“You knew that and you married me anyways,” Hillary teased as she let Scott lead her down the hallway back to the master bedroom.   
“Don’t get up anymore, beautiful,” Scott said as Hillary climbed back into bed.   
“This fucking _sucks,_ Scott,” Hillary harshly sighed as she grabbed the TV remote from the nightstand and started flipping through the channels.   
“I know, sweetie,” Scott sighed. “And I’m sorry.”   
Hillary huffed in annoyance as she laid back against the headboard. “I just want this kid out of me. I’m sick of being the size of a bowling ball!”   
“Well, _I_ think you’re adorable,” Scott said as he climbed into bed beside her.   
Hillary rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. I’m gigantic and gross. _And_ I’ve been _so_ horny for days now but there is nothing I can do about it.”   
Scott chuckled. “I’m sure there’s _something_ we can do.” He smirked.   
“Like what?” Hillary frowned.   
“Well, I don’t know,” Scott replied. “But I’m sure we can find a position that works.” He shrugged.   
“You really want to have sex with me when I look like this?” Hillary asked in disbelief. “I’m swollen literally _everywhere_.”   
“You look amazing,” Scott retorted. “You’re _so_ sexy right now, Hill. Your curves when you're pregnant are _insane_."   
“Yeah, right,” Hillary huffed.   
“No, seriously, Hillary. You look so gorgeous right now.”   
“Well, I don’t _feel_ gorgeous,” Hillary argued.   
“Hillary, believe me. You are beautiful and sexy,” Scott assured his wife. “And hey, I’ve read that sex can sometimes induce labor.”   
“Well, let’s have sex then!” Hillary was sold as soon as Scott said ‘induce labor.’ Even though she definitely didn’t feel like having sex with Scott at that moment, she _was_ horny as fuck and she was willing to try just about anything that would get the baby out of her. “But, wait. I can’t be on my back,” Hillary realized, frowning.   
“I know. But we can spoon,” Scott pointed out.   
Hillary nodded as she rolled onto her side. “Okay. That sounds perfect.”   
Scott nodded and helped her take her pajama top off before he started kissing her. He kissed his way down her stomach before he pulled down her pajama pants and gently ran his finger over her clit.   
“Oh....yes!” Hillary loudly moaned. “Oh my God...Scott!”   
He gently sucked on her neck before he curled up beside her and pushed into her.   
“Oh, fuck!” Hillary groaned out.   
“Oh, God. Baby,” Scott loudly groaned out as he thrust inside of her.   
“Please fuck me,” Hillary moaned breathlessly, getting caught up in the moment. “ _Hard_!” She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming as Scott started thrusting harder. “ _Fuuckkkkkk_ ,” she loudly moaned as she gripped the sheets. “Don’t stop,” she begged.   
“I’m not, baby,” Scott assured her, grunting.   
“ _Yes_!” Hillary moaned out as Scott started sucking on her neck again. “That feels _so_ good!” she cried out, enjoying the sensation as she realized it had been months since her and Scott last had sex.   
“I’m close,” she moaned out breathlessly as Scott started nibbling on her right earlobe.   
“Me, too,” Scott grunted.   
Hillary loudly gasped in ecstasy as they came together and Scott collapsed on the bed beside her.   
“Oh my God, I needed that,” Hillary realized, as she panted, trying to catch her breath.   
Scott chuckled and also tried to catch his breath. “Me, too, baby.”   
He leaned over and started gently kissing her neck again.   
“Ugh, Scott?” Hillary realized. She groaned. “Can you help me to the bathroom again?”   
“Of course,” Scott nodded before he got out of bed and helped Hillary out of the bed.   
Hillary grabbed her pajama top from where it had been discarded and slipped it on over her head.   
“Thanks,” she said to Scott as he grabbed her arm and led her across the room to the bathroom. “I swear this kid is trying out for the World Cup or something,” she joked.   
Scott chuckled and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”   
“I think I’m going to take a bath, too,” Hillary decided.   
Scott nodded. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll run it for you when you’re ready.”   
Hillary nodded. “Thanks, honey.” She leaned over and gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek. 

* * * * * 

A few minutes later after she was finished going to the bathroom, she was sitting on the edge of the bed while she waited for Scott to finish running the bathwater for her. When suddenly she felt a peculiar but familiar sensation. She looked down and her eyes widened in surprise. 

“Um...Scott?” she nervously called out.   
“Yeah?” Scott called out from the bathroom, yelling over the noise of the running water.   
“I think the sex _did_ induce me,” Hillary suddenly said. “My water just broke.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I left it there. *evil laugh* Don't hate me haha.


	19. Blackbird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday! I hope everybody had a great week and that you all enjoy this update! Things will take a turn soon from this point forward.

“What!?” Scott frantically called over the sound of the running bath water. He turned the tap off, not sure if he had heard Hillary correctly.  
“My water broke,” Hillary calmly said (feeling much calmer than she expected) as Scott rushed out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. “It’s okay,” she urged her husband, seeing the stunned look on his face as she pushed herself up into a standing position. “Just call Dr. Thompson, get my hospital bag from the closet and I’ll go tell Chelsea to watch Hayley.”  
Scott nodded before he ran into Hillary’s walk-in closet to find her already packed suitcase.  
Meanwhile, Hillary managed to change out of her pajamas and into a pair of black maternity leggings and a dark grey T-shirt. She waddled down the hallway to Hayley’s room.  
“Mama?” Hayley (who evidently had woken up from her nap) said, when Hillary entered the room.  
“Hey, sweetie.” Hillary smiled down at her daughter as she carefully scooped her up.  
“Daddy now?” Hayley sweetly asked.  
“Nope, not yet.” Hillary shook her head and started carrying Hayley downstairs. “Baby Cassandra is coming.”  
“Baby?” Hayley asked Hillary with wide, excited eyes.  
“Yep, the baby,” Hillary broadly grinned and chuckled as she carried Hayley into the living room.  
“What’s going on? Why are you out of bed?” Chelsea asked her mom, frowning in confusion as she walked inside the house to get a glass of water.  
“Ready?” Scott called out, rushing down the stairs with their hospital bags.  
“Yeah,” Hillary called back. She turned to Chelsea as Chelsea closed the door that led outside to the patio behind her. “My water just broke.”  
Chelsea gasped in surprise and squealed. “Oh my God!”  
“Can you stay here and watch your sister, Chels?” Scott asked.  
“But I want to come to the hospital with you guys,” Chelsea insisted. She looked at Hillary expectantly. “Can I?”  
Hillary shrugged, “Sure. If you really want to. This could take a while.” She looked at her husband for his approval.   
“Ugh, fine,” Scott gave in. “Let me have Hayley.”  
Hillary nodded and passed her daughter over to him.  
“You okay?” Scott checked with her.  
“Oh yeah, I’m fine so far,” Hillary waved him off. “Chelsea, can you call Jess and see if she can come over to watch Hayley?”  
Chelsea nodded.  
“We don’t have time!” Scott frantically argued. “Just tell her to meet us at the hospital. She can pick up Hayley from there.”  
Hillary loudly guffawed in her trademark way. “Oh, honey. We have _plenty_ of time. This takes _hours_ , sweetheart. My contractions have barely started. I’d rather labour at home first for a bit, if that’s alright. There’s no point going to the hospital yet if I’m just gonna be stuck in the bed strapped to a fetal monitor.”  
“No!” Scott gritted his teeth. “We’re going to the hospital. Tell Jessica to meet us there. I don’t want to risk anything.”  
“Fine,” Hillary sighed, giving in.  
“Okay, everybody get in the car,” Scott ordered. “ _Now_.” 

* * * * *

Once everybody was eventually settled in the car and Scott was en route to the hospital, Hillary pulled her cell phone out of her purse and called the coffee shop where Jessica worked. She managed to get a hold of her a few minutes later.  
“Mom?” Jessica sounded surprised to hear from her mom while she was at work.  
“Hey, sweetie,” Hillary said, smiling to herself. “Listen. I know you’re at work but the baby’s coming. Do you think you could get away from work and meet us at the hospital?”  
“Oh my God!” Jessica half-squealed, half-gasped. “Of course! I’ll get somebody to cover the rest of my shift!”  
“Thanks, sweetie,” Hillary gratefully said. “Oh!” She suddenly remembered something that she had forgotten in all the chaos of her water breaking. “Will you do me a favour and call Bill?”  
“Um, yeah, sure,” Jessica replied, sounding confused.  
“He’s flying in today to see Hayley,” Hillary explained. “She _really_ misses him, as you know.”  
“Aww, that’s nice of him.”  
“Yeah,” Hillary softly smiled to herself. “It is. Anyways, can you call him and tell him to pick Hayley up from the hospital when his flight gets in?”  
“Of course,” Jessica assured her mother.  
“ _Thank you_ ,” Hillary replied, sounding relieved. “I gotta go now but I’ll see you in a little while. Love you.”  
“Love you, too,” Jessica said before hanging up.  
“You’re seriously thinking about _Bill_ right now?” Scott asked Hillary with a shocked expression on his face.  
“No, Scott,” Hillary rolled her eyes. “I just need to let him know where to find Hayley after his flight gets in.”  
“I thought we were past this,” Scott gritted his teeth.  
“No,” Hillary harshly sighed and lay her head back against the headrest. “You just refused to talk about it.”  
“We’ve been married a _year,_ Hillary,” Scott argued. “I really need you to move on from Bill, honey.”  
“Are you really going to ruin this moment?” Hillary angrily asked.  
“I could ask you the same.” Scott glared at her out of the corner of his eye.  
“Guys, calm down,” Chelsea urged from the back seat.  
“Scott, please,” Hillary harshly sighed. “You are _my_ husband and I’m having _our_ baby. Please just try to be happy right now.”  
“I was happy and excited until you became concerned about Bill!” Scott argued.  
“I just needed Jess to tell him where to find Hayley later!” Hillary insisted, getting frustrated. “If I was that concerned about it, I would have called him myself.” She shrugged.  
“Just drop it, Scott,” Chelsea tried. “Mom’s right. This is supposed to be a happy occasion.”  
“Fine,” Scott sighed. “I’ll drop it.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary muttered as a strong contraction finally hit her. “ _Oh_ , this hurts." She loudly groaned in pain and clutched her large bump.  
“We’re almost there,” Scott said, reaching over and squeezing her hand.  
“I don’t want an epidural,” Hillary suddenly decided, tightly squeezing her husband’s hand as another contraction hit.  
“Why not?” Scott raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
Hillary shrugged. “I think I can go without.” She had had one with Jessica but ended up needing an emergency C-section anyways while Chelsea had been a planned C-Section. This time she wanted to challenge herself to attempt a vaginal delivery with no pain medication.  
“Okay,” Scott said, giving his wife a nervous look.  
“I’ll be fine,” Hillary gave her husband a reassuring smile. “I can do this.”  
  


* * * * *

After they arrived at the maternity wing of the hospital, and got Hillary checked in at the front desk, the nurses got her set up in a room a few minutes later. Hillary started changing into a hospital gown as Chelsea sat down in a chair and got Hayley settled on her lap.  
“Mama? Baby?” Hayley asked, staring at her mother expectantly.  
“Yes, the baby is coming now.” Hillary nodded.  
“I will be a good girl, Mama,” Hayley sweetly smiled and nodded.  
Chelsea and Hillary chuckled at that as Chelsea squeezed her younger sister.   
“I know you will be, Hayls,” Hillary laughed. “Thank you, sweetheart.”  
“Are you okay?” Scott checked with Hillary as Hillary climbed into the hospital bed.  
Hillary nodded as a nurse started an IV for her. “I’m a little uncomfortable but it’s not too bad...yet.”  
Scott nodded and pecked her cheek while another nurse got Hillary hooked up to the fetal monitor.  
“Baby now?” Hayley asked, turning around and looking up at Chelsea.  
“She’ll be here soon, Hayls,” Chelsea chuckled.  
“I love baby,” Hayley sweetly said.  
“Aww, you are going to be such a good big sister,” Scott complimented her.  
“I hope you don’t mind that us girls are going to outnumber you.” Hillary smirked.  
“I don’t mind at all.” Scott chuckled.  
Hillary smiled softly just as Jessica burst into the room, with Sophia propped up on her right hip and her purse and Sophia’s diaper bag hanging from the crook of her left elbow.  
“Mom!”  
“Hey, sweetie!” Hillary grinned at her oldest daughter’s arrival.  
“How are you doing?” Jessica asked her.  
“I’m okay so far,” Hillary assured Jessica with a reassuring nod.   
“Good,” Jessica nodded in relief before she turned to where Chelsea and Hayley were sitting. “Do you two want to come hang out with me and Sophia in the waiting room?”  
Hayley frowned and shook her head. “No. I want to stay with mama and the baby.”  
“Mama has to _have_ the baby first, sweetie,” Chelsea explained chuckling as she squeezed her little sister again. “You can see the baby when she comes.”  
“Oh,” Hayley nodded. “Oh, okay.”  
Chelsea smiled and stood up, propping her three year old sister against her left hip.  
“Bye, mama,” Hayley sweetly waved goodbye.  
“Bye, bye, my sweet girl,” Hillary cooed, waving at her in return.  
“Good luck, mom,” Jessica said, giving Hillary an excited and anticipatory smile.  
“Yeah, good luck,” Chelsea echoed. “We’ll come back and check on how you’re doing in a bit.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thanks, girls. I love you. But you guys can go home if you want. You don't have to wait around. This could take _a while_.”  
“No, I want to be here,” Jessica insisted.  
Chelsea nodded in agreement with her older sister. “Me, too.”  
“We’ll stay as long as Sophia and Hayley are content,” Jessica supplied.  
“Okay,” Hillary nodded. “Thank you. But feel free to leave and go home if you have to.”  
Chelsea and Jessica nodded.  
“Keep us updated,” Jessica said to Scott.  
“Of course,” Scott assured his stepdaughters.  
The girls nodded and left the room with the younger children just as a particularly intense contraction hit Hillary.  
“Ohhhh....Ouch!” She tightly squeezed Scott’s hand and shut her eyes as an intense wave of pain washed over her.  
“Oww!” Scott whined, surprised at how tightly she had gripped his hand just then.  
“Hey, _you_ don’t get to complain,” Hillary teased after the contraction had passed.  
“Sorry,” Scott chuckled. “You have a death grip though.”  
“Well...this hurts!” Hillary argued. “I think I’ve earned the privilege to squeeze your hand as hard as I want.”  
“I don’t know about that,” Scott teased, laughing.  
Hillary winced in pain as another intense contraction hit. “Well, let’s switch places right now,” she growled in a low angry voice. “Would you like _that_?”  
“Well...no,” Scott realized.  
“Exactly!” Hillary argued. “Oh shit!” Now her labor was really starting up. “This _hurts_.” She moaned in pain.   
She shut her eyes tight until the next contraction passed.  
“Scott!” She uncharacteristically whined before she groaned in pain again. “Make it stop!”  
“Just get the epidural, babe,” Scott gently suggested, rubbing her back.  
“I don’t need one!” Hillary loudly insisted.  
“Okay!” Scott put his hands up in the air, letting go of the issue just as Dr. Thompson walked into the room wearing a pair of light blue scrubs with her hair in a large bun on the top of her head. Even though Dr. Thompson’s medical practice was based in New York City, being a world-renowned fertility specialist and OB-GYN, luckily she had gotten hospital privileges to be able to deliver Hillary and Scott’s baby at their local hospital in Connecticut.  
“Hi, Hillary!” Dr. Thompson happily greeted with a broad smile.  
“Hi,” Hillary weakly smiled at the doctor as she felt another contraction.   
“Let’s see how you’re doing,” Dr. Thompson smiled as she bent down at the foot of Hillary’s bed.  
Hillary nervously sighed and nodded.

“You’re only four centimeteres dilated so far,” Dr. Thompson informed Hillary and Scott a few minutes later after checking Hillary’s cervix.  
“ _Only_ four?” Hillary groaned. It was going to be a _long_ day and possibly even night.  
Dr. Thompson nodded and gave Hillary a sympathetic smile. “But you should progress pretty quickly since your water already broke. We can give you a pitocin drip through your IV if you want to speed things up?”  
“Um, no that’s alright. Thanks though,” Hillary declined, remembering the complications Jessica had had with Sophia’s birth due to the pitocin.  
Dr. Thompson nodded again. “Well you’re doing great so far, Hillary. Just hang in there. I’ll come check on you again in a bit.”  
Hillary nodded and said thank you to her doctor before her doctor made some notes on Hillary’s chart and left the room.  
“I need ice chips,” Hillary said to Scott. “Please.”  
  


* * * * *

“You’re doing great, honey,” Scott encouraged a few minutes later after he came back with Hillary’s ice.  
Hillary closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. “I just want it to be over with.”  
“I know,” Scott sighed. “Me, too.”  
“Oh, God!” Hillary groaned and tightly squeezed Scott’s hand again.  
Scott winced in pain and quickly shook his hand free from her tense grip.  
“Scott! You ass!” Hillary exclaimed, glaring at him.   
“Well stop squeezing so hard!” Scott argued.  
“Ugh, you suck at this!” Hillary angrily yelled.  
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Scott harshly sighed and grabbed her hand.  
“You try squeezing this stupid kid out!” Hillary exclaimed in an irritated tone of voice.   
“Hey! Don’t call her stupid!” Scott argued.  
Hillary let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, fine. Can we just please make this as pleasant an experience as possible?”  
“Well, that’s up to you.” Scott shrugged.  
“No...I’m pretty sure it’s up to you.” She glared at her husband before she groaned in pain again and gripped the railing on the side of the hospital bed.  
Scott sighed and grabbed her hand, feeling guilty over the way he was acting. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Squeeze away.”  
“No, I’m fine,” Hillary shook her head breathlessly and let go of Scott’s hand.  
“Well, can I get you anything?” Scott offered, trying his best to be helpful.  
Hillary shook her head but then changed her mind. “Actually, more ice would be good.”  
  


* * * * *

“I’m sorry, Hillary,” Scott apologized when he brought Hillary her extra ice chips a few minutes later. “I didn’t mean to be such an asshole just then.”  
“I have other things to worry about right now, Scott,” Hillary groaned loudly as another incredibly painful contraction hit. “Oh….fuck this _hurts!_ ” She grabbed Scott’s elbow.  
“Um, I’m sure it’ll be over soon,” Scott awkwardly tried, not knowing what he could do to help her since he couldn’t actually take the physical pain away. “Just breathe, honey. Like in those birthing classes we took.”  
“Fuck those classes!” Hillary loudly exclaimed. “Those classes were _bullshit!_ ” She screamed in agony as another contraction hit. “Oh my God! Get her _out_ of me!” She shut her eyes tightly. “This doesn’t feel right. It hurts _way_ more than usual!” She cried out.  
“Hillary, you need to breathe,” Scott urged.  
“Can you get the doctor?” Hillary asked breathlessly. “I feel like I have to push.”  
“Honey, she said you’re only four centimetres dilated.”  
“Scott, just get the damn doctor!” Hillary exclaimed. “She’s coming! I swear!”  
Scott sighed and went to look for Dr. Thompson. 

He returned a few minutes later with the doctor in tow.  
“You are nowhere near needing to push yet, Hillary,” Dr. Thompson informed her after checking Hillary’s cervix.  
“But I _need_ to!” Hillary cried out in agony.  
“You're only five centimetres dilated, honey,” Dr. Thompson gave her patient a sympathetic look. “You can get an epidural now if you’d like.”  
. Hillary shook her head firmly. “ _No._ No epidural.”  
“Yes, give her one!” Scott insisted, contrary to his wife’s wishes.  
“No! I don’t want one!” Hillary argued through gritted teeth.  
“She’s getting one,” Scott said to Dr. Thompson, ignoring Hillary.  
“It’s up to Hillary,” Dr. Thompson gently informed Scott.  
“Well...just tell the anesthesiologist to be on standby,” Scott tried, hoping Hillary would give in.  
“No, don’t.” Hillary shook her head again. “He’s just mad because I was squeezing his hand too hard.” She rolled her eyes.  
Dr. Thompson chuckled and nodded understandingly.  
“Can I kick him out of here?” Hillary asked, deadly serious knowing her daughters were right out in the waiting room ready to take her husband’s place.  
“I want to see the birth of my child, Hillary!” Scott argued.  
“Then you should be supportive of the _mother_ of your child!” Hillary spat out just as another painful contraction hit.  
“I _am_ being supportive!” Scott argued.  
“Fuck, I need drugs!” Hillary suddenly cried out, not being able to take the pain anymore.  
“I’ll go page the anesthesiologist on call,” the nurse offered.  
“I wanted to go all natural!” Hillary started crying, both from the pain and from feeling disappointed in herself.  
Scott sighed sadly.  
“I know I can do it!” Hillary cried out. “You’re just stressing me out!” She added, glaring at her husband. “I need you to be supportive! This is _so_ hard!”  
“Okay, fine. No epidural, Dr. Thompson,” Scott gave in.  
Dr. Thompson nodded before she left Hillary’s room with promises that she would be back shortly to check on Hillary’s progress.  
“This is supposed to be perfect,” Hillary nervously rambled.  
“And it will be,” Scott reassured his wife. “You can do it, baby.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re doing great. Just breathe like we practiced.”  
Hillary nodded. “I’m trying but this hurts so badly!” She loudly moaned.  
“It’s fine. You can do it,” Scott encouraged. “Do it for Cassandra.”  
“Don’t ever make me do this again,” Hillary growled, gripping the side rails of the hospital bed.  
“I won’t,” Scott promised her.  
“I just want her out of me!” Hillary cried out as she shut her eyes and tried not to start crying again.  
Scott sighed, sounding annoyed.  
Hillary quickly opened her eyes and looked over at him. “What!?” She snapped.  
“I didn’t say anything.” Scott raised his hand defensively.  
Hillary harshly sighed and nodded. “Oh my God!” She loudly moaned as another wave of fervent pain washed over her. 

* * * * *

Meanwhile, a few hours later Bill’s flight had arrived from Arkansas and he casually strolled into the waiting room of the maternity ward after he had taken a cab from the airport to the hospital as instructed by Jessica. He took off his sunglasses and as his eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent hospital lighting, he noticed where Jessica was sitting with the kids in the waiting room.  
“Hey, sweetie,” he said as he approached her, dragging his suitcase behind him. “How is she doing?”  
“Um, I’m not sure,” Jessica admitted, biting her lower lip. “Chelsea’s in there with her right now. I haven’t been able to go in yet because Sophia’s been pretty clingy.”  
Bill harshly sighed. “And no one has told you anything?”  
Jessica shook her head just as they saw Chelsea walking back to the waiting room with a pale face and her eyes as wide as saucers.  
“Hey, Chels,” Bill smiled at his daughter as she strolled over to them and took a seat beside Hayley. “How’s your mom doing?”  
“Hi, Dad,” Chelsea greeted, looking relieved at the sight of her dad. “She’s really struggling, actually. She’s in _a lot_ of pain.”  
“Oh, no.” Jessica bit her lip again and frowned.  
“And Scott doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Chelsea rolled her eyes. “He’s not helping her _at all_. I think he’s making things worse, actually."   
“You need to go in there, Bill,” Jessica ordered. “That _idiot_ doesn’t know how to properly take care of her.” She rolled her eyes, mirroring her younger sister’s earlier action.  
“It’s not my baby, Jess,” Bill sadly sighed as he took a seat next to his stepdaughter. “One of you has to go in there though,” he said to his daughters, looking at them expectantly.  
“I can’t go back in there,” Chelsea frantically shook her head. “I can’t see her like that again,” she added quietly. It had been strange seeing her usually strong and capable mother in such a raw and vulnerable state. “Does it really hurt that bad?” She asked her older sister.  
“Yes,” Jessica simply answered, nodding.  
Chelsea’s eyes widened in surprise again. “Well you have to go in there, Jess. Because I’m not.”  
Jessica let out a sigh.   
“Please, Jess,” Bill begged. “Do it for your mother.”  
Chelsea was giving her a ‘ _listen to Dad_ ’ look.  
“Besides you’ve already been through it before. You know exactly how to help her. I don’t,” Chelsea pointed out.  
“Fine,” Jessica harshly sighed, giving in.  
“We’ll watch Sophie,” Chelsea assured her older sister as Jessica passed her almost one year old daughter over to Bill.   
“Listen, when you go in there. Make sure you hold her hand,” Bill began as he got Sophia settled comfortably in his lap. “And ask the nurses for a washcloth to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She _hates_ that. Also, help her pull her hair back into a ponytail if it isn’t already. She’ll be nervous and scared but if you hum softly to her, that will help. And don’t worry. Chelsea and I will stay with these two.” He gestured towards Hayley and Sophia.  
“It needs to be you,” Jessica reiterated, shaking her head, seeing how unlike Scott, Bill knew _exactly_ what to do to make Hillary more comfortable and to calm her mother down.   
“Well, that isn’t an option right now I’m afraid,” Bill firmly replied. “Do what I said.”  
Jessica nodded, giving in, knowing Bill was right. “Okay.”  
  


* * * * *

When she walked into her mother’s labour and delivery suite a few minutes later, Hillary was crying hysterically while Scott was standing beside her bed, looking uncomfortable. Chelsea was right. Jessica couldn’t remember a time she had ever seen her usually strong and confident mother this undone before.  
“Okay, Mom. It’s okay,” Jessica soothed as she pulled Hillary’s long blonde sweaty tresses up into a ponytail and tied it with the hair elastic Jessica always wore around her wrist, just like Bill had instructed her to do.  
“Shhh, its almost over,” Jessica said in a reassuring tone before she turned to one of the nurses and asked for a cold washcloth. “It’s okay,” Jessica comforted her mother in a quiet and calm voice. “You’re okay.” She gave her mother a gentle smile.   
Hillary whimpered uncharacteristically as Jessica started wiping the sweat off of Hillary’s brow.  
“Hold her hand, Scott,” Jessica ordered sternly with gritted teeth. Boy, did she ever hate that man…  
“Don’t you fucking touch me,” Hillary growled at Scott. “This is your fault!”  
“Hey, Mom. Look at me,” Jessica said softly. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here." she continued wiping the sweat off of Hillary’s forehead.  
“God, please just get it _out_ of me!” Hillary screamed as she tightly squeezed Jessica’s hand.  
Jessica softly kissed her mother’s forehead and started gently humming the tune to The Beatles _Blackbird_ , the first song that popped into her head. She could remember her mother humming or (poorly) singing it to her to calm her down when she was sick or scared as a child.  
“You are doing a great job,” Jessica quietly encouraged.  
Hillary took a few deep breaths as she slowly began to calm down thanks to Jessica's comforting presence. She reached for Scott’s hand which Scott gently took as he locked his fingers with hers.   
Jessica kept alternating between kissing her mother’s head, wiping the sweat off her face, and humming, doing everything Bill had instructed her to do. And it seemed to be working so far.  
“You are _almost_ there, Mom,” Jessica encouraged, squeezing Hillary’s other hand. “I know it hurts but you are _so_ strong, mama. This will all be a memory in just a few minutes. You’re going to get to hold her and kiss her and she will be so perfect and beautiful.”  
Hillary nodded, Jessica’s words of encouragement managing to calm her down.  
“She won’t be as perfect as I am though,” Jessica teased with a smirk.   
Hillary managed to chuckle. “You’re so full of yourself sometimes, Jess.” Hillary softly laughed again. “But yes, you are pretty perfect, Kitty Cat,” Hillary agreed before she loudly moaned, feeling another contraction. An incredibly intense one this time.  
“I’ve got to be close now,” Hillary groaned. “I really want to push.”  
“I’ll go find the doctor,” Jessica offered.  
“No!” Hillary tightly squeezed Jessica’s hand. “Here comes another one!”  
“Go get the doctor,” Jessica ordered Scott.  
“No,” Scott shook his head. “I want to stay with her.”  
“Well, you aren’t exactly helping her,” Jessica pointed out with an expression of annoyance on her face. She raised her eyebrows pointedly at him. “So go get the doctor. _Now_.”  
Scott sighed and left Hillary’s room, in search of Dr. Thompson while Jessica reassuringly squeezed her mother’s hand.  
“Don’t be angry with him, Jess.” Hillary sadly sighed. “He’s never done this before.”  
“Well, he _sucks_ ,” Jessica said. “He’s not even _trying,_ Mom.”  
“Oh, hush. He is,” Hillary quietly said before she felt another intense contraction. “Ohhhh!”  
Jessica was helping her mother through the contraction when Scott came back with Dr. Thompson a few minutes later.  
“I think I’m ready to push,” Hillary said to the doctor. “I feel like I have to push.”  
Dr. Thompson checked Hillary’s cervix and nodded a few minutes later. “Yep, you’re at ten centimeters and fully effaced. You’re ready to go.”  
“Thank _God_.” Hillary let out a large sigh of relief as Dr. Thompson and the nurses helped her get into the proper position for pushing.  
“Okay, Hillary,” Dr. Thompson said. “ I need you to bear down and push as hard as you can.”  
“ _Ugh_!” Hillary loudly grunted as she did what the doctor had instructed her to do.  
“Great job, Mom,” Jessica said encouragingly.  
Hillary started sobbing uncontrollably again as she continued pushing.  
“Come on, Mom. Push really hard,” Jessica encouraged, as she let her mom tightly squeeze her hand, as tight as Hillary wanted to squeeze it.   
“Shut up! I’m trying!” Hillary screamed.  
“I know,” Jessica soothed as she gently stroked her mom’s hair with her free hand. “You’re doing amazing, Mom. She’s almost here. Just keep pushing.”  
“I see her head,” Dr. Thompson announced a few minutes later.   
Hillary pushed one more time, as hard as she possibly could just wanting to get the baby out.   
“Oh my God! She has blonde hair like you!” Scott realized, peering over the stirrups so he could see what was going on.  
“One more push should do it, Hillary,” Dr. Thompson encouraged. “You just have to push her shoulders out.”  
“Get her out!” Hillary loudly shrieked as she pushed as hard as she could for the last time.  
“And...you have a girl!” Dr. Thompson announced as she pulled the baby out.  
“Oh, God.” Hillary flopped back against the bed and tried to catch her breath, not quite taking in what had just happened until her daughter’s first cries loudly filled the room.  
“Oh my God!” Scott gasped as the nurse placed the newborn baby girl on Hillary’s chest and let Scott cut the umbilical cord.  
“Hi, Cassandra!” Hillary teared up, crying tears of utter joy and happiness this time as she saw her baby girl for the very first time. “I’m your mama.”  
She leaned down and kissed the top of Cassandra’s head before the nurses whisked the baby away to get cleaned up and checked over by a pediatrician.  
Scott pecked the top of Hillary’s head, feeling truly elated and overjoyed.  
“I’m so tired,” Hillary chuckled.  
“As you should be!” Jessica laughed. “She’s beautiful, Mom.” She gave her mother a proud smile.   
“You did great, baby,” Scott said. He looked over to where the pediatrician and the nurses were examining his newborn daughter. “She’s really pale. Is that normal?”  
“She’s perfectly healthy,” The pediatrician assured the first-time father. “She’ll pink up in a minute or two.”  
Scott nodded. “And how are you?” he checked with Hillary.  
“I’m okay,” Hillary nodded. “Just sore and exhausted,” she chuckled.  
“Thank you so much for her,” Scott said, pecking Hillary’s forehead.  
“You’re welcome,” Hillary softly smiled at her husband, too overjoyed by her daughter’s birth to be mad at her husband anymore. “Come here,” she said, patting the bed beside her.  
Scott nodded and crawled into the bed with her, cuddling her.  
“I’ll, um, give you two a moment,” Jessica quietly said, wanting to give her mom and her mother's husband some alone time with their newborn daughter.   
Hillary nodded and tenderly smiled. “Okay. Thank you, Jessie.”  
Jessica smiled weakly and nodded before she went to go update Bill and Chelsea.

She found Bill sitting with Hayley and Sophia in the waiting room. Sophia was happily munching on some dry Cheerios from the emergency stash Jessica always kept in the diaper bag and Hayley was content as she snacked on a chocolate chip cookie that Bill had bought for her.  
“Baby now, Jessie?” Hayley sweetly asked.  
Jessica nodded and grinned. “Yep. Baby Cassandra is finally here.” She looked around. “Where’s Chelsea?” she asked Bill as her stepfather grabbed a napkin and started wiping smeared chocolate off of Hayley's face.   
“She was hungry,” Bill explained. “I gave her some cash and sent her to that diner across the street for some dinner. I’m going to go pick her up though so she can meet her new sister and I can get Hayley a proper meal. I need a bite to eat myself.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly. “Okay, sounds good. See you later, Bill.”  
Bill nodded in return. “I love you, Jessie. Thank you _so much_ for being there for your mother today.”  
“I love you, too,” Jessica replied, softly smiling at her stepdad. “And it was no problem.”  
“I’ll be back in a little while,” Bill assured his oldest daughter. “You must be starving by now, too. Do you want me to bring you back a burger?”  
Jessica shook her head. “I’m fine. I just need a coffee and a snack. But thanks.”  
Bill nodded. “Okay. Go back to your mom, sweetheart,” he encouraged with a gentle smile.   
“Sophia and I will just go to that coffee shop on the first floor and hang out there for a bit, I guess.” Jessica shrugged, not really feeling like being around Scott and her mother right that second. She couldn’t bear to see them all cuddled up and happy. Not when the man her mother truly loved was right there, the man currently sitting in front of Jessica. “Until you guys come back.”  
“I could take Sophia with me,” Bill offered. “She's been eating the Cheerios but she's probably hungry, too. And it’ll give you a little break.”  
Jessica mulled the offer over in her head. She didn’t get a lot of kid-free moments being a single mother, aside from when she was at work or in class, so the idea of Bill taking Sophia so she could go get a coffee by herself for even just a few minutes sounded _amazing_ to her in that moment.  
“Oh, really? Thanks, Bill,” she smiled gratefully at her stepfather.  
“No problem,” Bill nodded as he stood up and scooped up Sophia, propping her up and resting her comfortably against his right hip. “Besides, we were having fun getting to know each other a little better while you were in the delivery room with your mother.” He smiled happily at his granddaughter.  
Sophia grinned back at him and excitedly cooed and babbled away, obviously thrilled at the prospect of getting to spend more time with her grandpa whom she had instantly warmed up to.  
“We’ll be back shortly,” Bill chuckled at his granddaughter’s excitement and reached for Hayley’s hand with his free hand after he had slung Sophia’s diaper bag over his left shoulder.  
  


“Bill?” Jessica suddenly called out a few moments later as Bill started walking towards the elevators with Sophia and Hayley in tow.  
“Yes?” Bill turned around and looked at his daughter curiously but expectantly, waiting to see what the younger woman had to say to him. His oldest daughter had a pensive yet hopeful look on her face.   
"Bill? _Please_ win Mom back. Okay? You have to." 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	20. Cracks in the Foundation

“Oh, sweetheart,” Bill frowned and stared at Jessica tenderly. “I can’t do that, baby. She wants to be with Scott for some reason. And if that’s what’s going to make her happy, then I just _really_ want her to be happy. You should want your mom to be happy too, Jess.”   
Jessica sighed harshly. “Of course I want her to be happy but Scott was  _ so _ awful to her in the delivery room and now she’s all cuddled up with him.” She rolled her eyes.    
“Well, that’s her choice,” Bill sadly said, looking forlorn. “She won't leave him. You know that, Jess.”    
“But I know she’s not happy.” Jessica sadly shook her head. “She only  _ thinks _ she is. But I know she’s not. Not truly happy anyways. She just puts up with him.” She harshly sighed again.    
“Daddy!” Hayley started impatiently tugging on Bill’s arm and looking up at him.    
“I’ll be back later,” Bill sadly sighed, looking down at his youngest daughter.    
Jessica nodded. “Yeah, you better get the kids fed,” she said softly, realizing her and Bill would have to resume their conversation about her mother later.    
“I love you, Jess,” Bill said, staring at her softly.    
“I love you, too,” Jessica quietly replied just as her stomach loudly growled.    
Bill chuckled. “You go back to your mom and we’ll bring you back some dinner.”    
“Okay,” Jessica nodded, a soft smile on her face.    
  


* * * * *

  
"I brought you some dinner, Mom,” Jessica said as she entered Hillary’s room a while later. She left a takeout container with chicken and rice on Hillary’s nightstand next to her bed. After Jessica had refueled with a coffee and a muffin for herself, she decided to get her mom a proper meal from the cafeteria, remembering how ravenously hungry she had been after Sophia’s birth.    
“Aww, thank you, honey,” Hillary said, smiling up at her oldest daughter.    
“Do you need anything else?” Jessica checked, almost hoping her mom would ask her for something because the less time spent around Scott, the better.    
“I’m okay,” Hillary assured her daughter with a nod.    
Jessica just nodded as Hillary cuddled Cassandra close to her chest and rested her head on Scott’s shoulder.    
“Actually,” Hillary suddenly said. “Maybe you could go to the nurses station and see if I can get any pain meds? I’m really sore.”    
“Sure, mom.” Jessica nodded and quickly left the room.    
“I’ve never been happier. Ever,” Scott grinned at Hillary and then down at his newborn daughter.    
“Me, too,” Hillary grinned, feeling pretty darn content holding her baby girl in her arms. “She looks like you,” she remarked, staring down at Cassandra.    
“But she has your hair. And your eyes,” Scott pointed out.    
“She has  _ a ton _ of hair,” Hillary chuckled.    
“I know,” Scott laughed. “It’s crazy.”    
“I think she gets that from you,” Hillary teased.    
“She is absolutely beautiful. Just like her mama.” Scott softly smiled at his wife. He kissed Cassandra’s forehead just as her pretty little blue eyes drifted closed.   
“Aww,” Scott smiled. “Look, she’s sleepy.”   
Hillary softly smiled at her daughter as the newborn drifted off to sleep. “She is absolutely perfect. I love her so much.”   
Scott nodded just as Jessica came back with a nurse. “Me, too.”   
“ _Thank you_.” Hillary gratefully took the pain pill that the nurse handed her and swallowed it down with some water that Jessica had poured for her. “I think I’m going to take a nap while Cassandra’s napping.”    
“Okay. Sounds good becasuse you  _ definitely _ deserve one, mom.” Jessica chuckled.    
“Or...maybe not,” Hillary realized as Cassandra suddenly woke up and started loudly crying.    
“Maybe she’s hungry?” Scott said.    
“I think so,” Hillary nodded. “Are you hungry, baby girl?” she cooed before she slipped down her hospital gown and helped Cassandra to latch on. “There you go my sweet girl,” she softly smiled down at her baby girl as the newborn ate.   
“I love you,” she said to Scott, giving him a quick peck on the lips as Jessica stood there, feeling uncomfortable.    
“Wait?” Hillary turned to her, realizing something. “Where are your sisters and Sophia?”   
“Um, Bill took them to get something to eat. They were hungry,” Jessica explained. “They’re coming back after dinner.”    
Hillary nodded, knowing they were being well taken care of. “Oh, okay, good.” She turned to Scott and smiled broadly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”   
Jessica frowned and looked down, knowing her mom was only saying that out loud to try to convince herself of something that deep down, she knew wasn’t true.    
“She’s so tiny,” Jessica distracted herself by focusing on her baby sister. She gently stroked the newborn’s cheek. “I remember when Sophia was this tiny.” Jessica smiled to herself. “Can I hold her when she’s done eating?”   
Hillary nodded and softly smiled. “Of course you can.”    
Jessica nodded and flicked a piece of lint off her jeans.    
“I’m so exhausted,” Hillary chuckled. “That was hard.”    
“I know, baby,” Scott said. “But you did so great and now we have a perfect baby girl.”    
“Thank you for being here today, Jess,” Hillary gratefully said, looking at Jessica tenderly. “I couldn’t have done it without you. Since someone here was no help.” She jokingly elbowed Scott.    
“Hey, I did the best I could, Hillary.” Scott immediately got defensive.    
“Chill, I was joking,” Hillary assured him, looking slightly taken aback. “Jeez.”    
“It was just scary. Seeing you in so much pain,” Scott explained.    
Hillary nodded and turned her attention back to Cassandra, not knowing what to say.    
“You are the most amazing person ever though,” Scott smiled softly at his wife.    
“Thank you,” Hillary smiled weakly. “You’re pretty fantastic yourself.”   
Jessica looked down and rolled her eyes. “I’m um, going to go get another coffee,” she said, not being able to stand being around her mom and Scott for another second. “Do you guys need anything?”   
They both shook their heads.    
“Thanks, though,” Hillary said.    
Jessica nodded and left the room while Hillary held Cassandra close to her after the newborn had finished eating.    
“Hi,” Hillary softly whispered. “Are you going to be a mama’s girl like your sisters?” She grinned as she was met with a soft cooing sound from the baby in her arms. “Aww, I think you will be.”    
“Are you mad at me about today?” Scott quietly asked.    
“I’m so happy about Cassandra that I couldn’t be mad about anything even if I tried,” Hillary smiled broadly at Scott. “And even if I were, you know I can’t stay mad at you for long.”    
“Good.” Scott nodded, relieved. “I’ll do better next time.”   
“Um, Scott?” Hillary raised an eyebrow. “There isn’t going to be a next time.”   
“Oh…” Scott looked taken aback. He shrugged. “Oh, okay.”   
“I thought that was pretty obvious, honey,” Hillary said softly. “I’ll be forty-nine in four months and this is my fourth kid. I can’t do this again.” She shook her head.    
“Well, what about me?” Scott asked, getting frustrated. “I want another kid.”    
“Well, you’re not getting one from me,” Hillary retorted.    
Scott harshly sighed and nodded. “Fine.”   
Hillary harshly sighed as well, her happiness and feelings of elation immediately being replaced with feelings of panic and stress.    
“Hey, I’m sorry,” Scott realized, seeing the look on his wife’s face. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”    
“Okay,” Hillary quietly sighed and nodded. “I just want to take a nap. I’m  _ so _ exhausted.”    
“Sleep, honey,” Scott nodded. “Cassandra and I will spend some daddy-daughter time together.”    
Hillary nodded and pecked his lips before she passed the baby over to him. “Okay. Thanks.”    
Scott nodded and got Cassandra nestled comfortably in his arms while Hillary got comfortable and closed her eyes.    
“Hi, gorgeous,” he whispered to his daughter, smiling down at her.    


* * * * *

“Hey, where are you going?” Hillary asked, opening her eyes a few minutes later as she felt the bed shift underneath her.    
“Oh, I wanted you to be comfortable,” Scott explained.    
“I was,” Hillary sleepily said. “You know I like to cuddle.”   
“Well, how about I take Cassandra to the nursery for a bit so you can get some proper rest?” Scott suggested.    
Hillary nodded and sighed, “Okay, fine.” She was  _ exhausted _ after the day’s events and she did need a nice long nap.    
Scott nodded and left the room with the baby.    
Just as Hillary had closed her eyes and was starting to drift off again, Chelsea suddenly walked into the room.    
Hillary opened her eyes, hearing someone entering and grinned when she realized Chelsea was there. “Hey!”    
“Hi, Mama!” Chelsea hugged her. “Where’s Cassandra?”    
“Scott took her down to nursery so I could try to get some rest,” Hillary explained.    
“Aww, I wanted to meet her,” Chelsea frowned. “But if you need to get some sleep, I can come back later.”   
“No.” Hillary shook her head. “It’s fine, honey. Stay.”   
Chelsea nodded. “Can Hayley come in? She really misses you.”    
“Absolutely,” Hillary answered, nodding and smiling. “I miss her, too.”    
Chelsea nodded. “I’ll go get her.”   
“Okay, Chels.” Hillary nodded.    
  


* * * * *   


“You should come in, too, Dad,” Chelsea suggested, going over to where he was sitting with Hayley and Sophia in the waiting room. “You should say hi to Mom.”    
Bill shook his head as he passed Hayley over to Chelsea. “No. I’ll let you girls enjoy this moment.”   
Chelsea sighed and nodded in understanding. “Okay.”   
“Make sure your mom doesn't need anything,” Bill said, gently pecking the top of Chelsea’s head.    
Chelsea nodded. “Of course.”   
“Seriously, Chelsea,” Bill firmly said. “Take care of her because I don’t think Scott knows how to.”   
Chelsea nodded and sadly sighed. “I think Mom really misses you, Dad,” she said softly.    
“It’s okay, Chels,” Bill nodded with a stricken look on his face. He tried not to tear up at Chelsea’s comment. He shook his head to shake away the unshed tears in his eyes. “I’m sure she wants to enjoy this time with Scott and Cassandra.”    
“Dad, just go in and say hi,” Chelsea urged. “Scott’s not even in the room. He took Cassandra to the nursery.”    
“Go on, honey,” Bill urged, shaking his head. “Maybe I’ll come say hi to her later.”   
Chelsea harshly sighed. “Fine.”   
“Mama!” Hayley impatiently whined.    
“Okay, okay. Let’s go see Mama,” Chelsea said, squeezing her little sister and carrying her down the hallway to Hillary’s room.    
  


“There’s my girls!” Hillary grinned as Chelsea and Hayley entered the room.    
Scott was back, cuddling with Hillary who had Cassandra nestled comfortably in her arms after Hillary had sent a nurse to the nursery to bring Cassandra back to Hillary’s hospital room so that her sisters could meet her.    
“Mama!” Hayley excitedly squealed.    
“Hi, baby girl!” Hillary grinned.    
“Why is your dad lurking outside in the hallway?” Scott suddenly asked Chelsea, raising an eyebrow in annoyance.    
“He’s not lurking,” Chelsea defensively said, glaring at her stepfather. “He was just dropping us off after dinner.”   
“Don’t worry, Scott,” Hillary assured her husband. “I am  _ not _ going to let him ruin this day.”   
“Mom, he isn’t ruining anything!” Chelsea argued, feeling the strong urge to defend her fatger.    
“Hush, Chelsea.” Hillary lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes.    
“What? He’s just sitting in the waiting room, minding his own business,” Chelsea pointed out. “He isn’t bothering anyone. Why are you guys being so mean?”   
Hillary ignored her and grinned at Hayley. “Hayls, do you want to meet your new baby sister?” She cooed.    
“No, she doesn’t,” Chelsea firmly said. “We’re leaving.”    
“Honey,” Hillary let out a frustrated sigh. “Your father and I aren’t married anymore. He shouldn’t even be here right now.”   
“The only reason he’s here is because he wanted to walk us back to the hospital after dinner and make sure we got here safely. But that was a mistake, I guess. We’re going home with him.” She put Hayley down and grabbed Hayley’s hand. Sge started leading her younger sister out of the room.    
“But I want Mama!” Hayley impatiently argued.    
“Chelsea, stop,” Hillary harshly sighed. “Come back.”   
“No.” Chelsea shook her head, her curls violently flying.    
“Chelsea Victoria Clinton, listen to me right now,” Hillary sternly said.    
Chelsea stopped in her tracks but she didn’t turn around.    
“This is our family now. Scott, and your sisters, and Cassandra,  _ we’re _ a family now,” Hillary explained. “Your dad is starting his own new family with Alexis as well.”    
“ _ This _ is not a family!” Chelsea argued, turning around to look at her mother. “ _This_ is a joke!”    
“You don’t mean that,” Hillary retorted.    
“You need to keep your kids in line, Hillary.” Scott gritted his teeth.    
“Keep me in line?” Chelsea loudly scoffed, looking visibly taken aback at Scott's comment. “Excuse me, Scott, if this is a big adjustment for all of us.”   
“I know that, honey,” Hillary harshly sighed. “But this is our life now.”   
Hayley suddenly burst into tears because of all the yelling.    
Chelsea sighed and shook her head. “Bye, mom. Enjoy your new family then, I guess.” With tears glistening in her eyes, she stormed out, leading Hayley out of the room behind her.    
  


“I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” Hillary said to Scott, sighing sadly. “Why the hell can’t we just be happy for five freaking minutes?”   
“Because of Bill, that’s why!” Scott loudly exclaimed.    
“I’m sorry, honey,” Hillary said, giving Scott an extremely apologetic look. “I’m so sorry.” She sadly shook her head.   
“Me, too,” Scott seethed. “I can’t believe you let Chelsea ruin this moment.”   
“Hey, nothing is ruined,” Hillary softly tried assuring her husband. “I’ll try to talk to her tomorrow.”   
Scott sighed harshly and shook his head in annoyance.    
“Scott, it’s okay,” Hillary quietly said. “She’ll come around.”    
“I can’t believe your kids,” Scott shook his head again. “They’ve never really liked me.”   
“That’s not true, Scott. You need to go easy on them though. Chelsea’s right. This is a difficult adjustment for them. But I’ll talk to Chelsea and Jessica tomorrow. Don’t worry. I can call Jess right now if you want.”    
“No!” Scott exclaimed. “Too many people have been in here already. I just want to spend some time with my wife and my baby girl.”   
“Scott,” Hillary sighed. “I have other children and a granddaughter. I can’t just ignore _them_.”    
“They’re pissed at us anyways,” Scott pointed out, shrugging.    
“Which is exactly why I need to talk to them,” Hillary gently explained.    
“Well, I don’t want you getting out of bed. I’ll go get them,” Scott said. 

* * * * *

Meanwhile, out in the waiting room, Chelsea was hysterically sobbing and being comforted by Bill while Hayley was loudly wailing because Chelsea was so visibly upset.    
“Sweetheart, you need to calm down,” Bill soothed in a calming voice as he gently rubbed Chelsea's back.   
“I...don’t...want...a...new...family,” Chelsea cried, her body racked with sobs.    
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill soothed quietly. “That just means that even more people love you.”    
“Scott doesn’t love us,” Chelsea shook her head. “And what the hell is wrong with mom?” She cried. “It’s like she had a personality transplant or something. Does  _ she _ even love us anymore?”   
“Look at me, Chels,” Bill said quietly as he gently tipped Chelsea’s face upwards to look at his own and softly brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “Your mom loves you very very  _ very _ much. You  _ never  _ have to doubt your mother’s love for you, okay?”    
“And I love you, too,” Scott said, coming into the waiting room, hearing the latter part of Bill and Chelsea’s conversation. “Your dad is right. We all love you.”    
“You're not my dad so go away!” Chelsea angrily yelled. “I have a dad already! A great one!”    
She wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck protectively.    
“Chelsea, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Bill whispered in her ear. “Be nice.” As much as he wanted nothing more than to deck Scott right in the face, he also knew he needed to set a good example for his daughters.    
“What’s going on?” Jessica asked, walking into the waiting room, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised in confusion as she saw Hayley and Chelsea both so visibly upset. She passed Bill a coffee from the tray in her hands.    
“Nothing,” Bill sighed as he accepted the warm drink from Jessica. “Your mom and Chelsea had a fight so Chelsea’s upset which in turn made Hayley upset.”   
“Oh,” Jessica frowned, her brow furrowing. “Come on, Chels. I’ll go talk to Mom with you. I bet she wants to see you and apologize.”    
Chelsea shook her head. “No, she only cares about her new baby.”    
“That’s not true, Chels,” Jessica quietly said.    
“Yeah, Chels. Go back to your mom,” Bill gently encouraged as he ran his long and elegant fingers through Chelsea’s long curly hair. “You need to properly meet your new baby sister. I bet she’s beautiful if she looks anything like you.” He softly smiled.    
Chelsea shook her head and buried her head into Bill’s chest. “Come with me,” she said, her voice muffled.    
“I’ll go with you,” Jessica gently offered. “Come on, sis. Let’s go.”   
“Yeah, Jessie will go with you,” Bill quietly said. “Go on. I’ll be right out here.”   
“Come on, sis,” Jessica said again, reaching for her younger sister’s hand.   
Bill scooped Hayley up onto his lap so he could calm her down while her older sisters visited with Hillary and Cassandra.   


* * * * * *

“Hey,” Hillary quietly said with a hopeful expression on her face when she saw Chelsea enter the room, followed by Scott and Jessica.    
“Can I hold her?” Chelsea quietly asked, coming over to her mother’s bedside.   
Hillary nodded. “Of course, sweetheart.” She softly smiled at Chelsea and patted the empty spot beside her on the bed.    
Chelsea weakly smiled and crawled into bed beside her mother.    
“Aww, she’s so cute,” Chelsea smiled, as she stared down into her baby’s sister's blue eyes after Hillary had passed Cassandra over.    
“She’s so tiny,” Jessica repeated in awe, leaning over the rail of Hillary's bed.    
“Mmmmm hmmm,” Hillary agreed, nodding. “I think she likes you,” she said to Chelsea with a small smile.    
Chelsea softly smiled and nodded, looking up at her mother, forgetting all about the fight they had had moments earlier. “I love you, mama.” She gently laid her head against Hillary’s shoulder.    
“I love you, too,” Hillary whispered before she leaned down and kissed the top of Chelsea’s head.   
“She has really pretty eyes,” Chelsea commented, staring down at the baby in her arms.    
Hillary smiled and nodded. “Yep. She’s very alert. Just like you were.”   
“Really?” Chelsea asked, smiling.    
Hillary nodded. “Yep.”    
“Are you tired?” Chelsea asked her mother.    
“”Oh, yeah. Very,” Hillary chuckled. “But I’m alright. Don't worry about me."    
“I already love her so much,” Chelsea said quietly, staring into her baby sister’s eyes.    
“Me, too,” Hillary whispered, staring softly over at Chelsea and Cassandra.   
Chelsea frowned as Cassandra started to whimper quietly.    
“It’s okay. She’s just sleepy,” Hillary explained, taking the baby back from Chelsea.   
“We’ll let you and Cassandra get some rest, Mom,” Jessica said as Hillary held Cassandra close to her.    
Hillary nodded. “Thanks, girls.”   
“Mom, Dad is staying with Jess while he’s here,” Chelsea informed her mother. “Can I stay there tonight? I don’t want to be alone in our big house.”    
Hillary nodded understandingly. “Of course you can sleepover at Jess’s tonight.”    
“Thank you,” Chelsea quietly said, nodding. “I guess we’ll get going then. It's getting late.”    
“Okay, sweet girl,” Hillary nodded.    
“I’ll give you a call before I go to bed,” Chelsea offered.    
“Sounds good,” Hillary nodded again. “Give me a kiss.”   
Chelsea nodded and gave her mom a quick peck on the cheek. “Love you, mama.”   
“I love you, too, baby girl,” Hillary quietly said.    
“We’ll see you later, mom,” Jessica said, leaning down and kissing the top of Hillary’s head.    
“Okay, sweetie. See you later,” Hillary quietly said. “Love you.”   
“Love you, too,” Jessica echoed.    
“Bye, Cassandra,” Chelsea quietly cooed.    
Hillary smiled at her daughters one last time before they left the room, leaving Hillary and Scott alone with the baby.    
Hillary forced a smile at Scott as he was smiling at her and Cassandra from across the room.    
“I love you.  _ So  _ much,” Hillary whispered to Cassandra, gently rocking her, hoping the newborn would go to sleep.    
“This feels amazing,” Scott said, walking over to Hillary’s beside. “This is  _ so _ perfect. We’re the cutest little family.”   
Hillary smiled and nodded in agreement. She let Scott peck her on the lips.    
“Are you really happy, Hillary?” Scott checked.    
Hillary forced a smile again and nodded. She leaned down and gently kissed the top of Cassandra’s head.    
“Can I hold her?” Scott asked.   
Hillary nodded. “Be careful. Make sure to support her head.”   
“I know how to hold a baby, Hillary!” Scott snapped.    
“I know, I know,” Hillary assured her husband. “But you’ve never had a baby before. I was just making sure.” She rolled her eyes.    
“Well, I can handle it,” Scott assured his wife.    
“I know,” Hillary said, passing the baby over to him.   
Cassandra softly cooed as Scott got her nestled in his arms comfortably.    
“God, she is cute,” Scott marvelled. “I have never seen a cuter human being before in my life. Other than her mama of course.”   
“Don’t be stupid, Scott,” Hillary rolled her eyes, a hint of pink rising in her cheeks.    
“I’m not being stupid!” Scott scoffed. “I was giving you a compliment.”   
“Well, you shouldn’t lie,” Hillary retorted.    
“I’m not lying!” Scott insisted, looking taken aback.   
“Alright, well I’m just going to try and get some rest,” Hillary said, changing the subject.    
“Scott sighed. “You are perfect, Hillary. I wish that you would believe it.”   
Hillary sighed and nodded. “Can we all just cuddle for a bit?”   
“Of course,” Scott nodded. He passed Cassandra back over to Hillary and crawled into bed beside his wife.    
“You must be exhausted,” Scott commented as he wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist. He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek.    
“I am,” Hillary nodded and rested her head against Scott’s shoulder.    
“Wake me up if she gets hungry,” Hillary sleepily said, struggling to keep her eyes open. She felt Scott place a gentle kiss on the top of her forehead.    
“I will, honey,” Scott chuckled. “I don’t have boobs.”   
“Obviously not. Because that would be weird,” Hillary chuckled, half-asleep.    
“I’m just saying. I can’t feed her,” Scott said, Hillary’s joke going right over his head.    
“I know,” Hillary nodded with her eyes closed.    
“Go to sleep, honey,” Scott quietly soothed.    
Hillary nodded.    
“I’m going to take a nap, too,” Scott decided as he saw Cassandra start to close her pretty little blue eyes.    
“Okay,” Hillary mumbled sleepily.    
“Goodnight, Hillary,” Scott said, placing Cassandra in her bassinet next to the bed.    
“Goodnight.” 

To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not updating yesterday like I normally do on Friday nights/Saturday mornings. If you didn't see my Tumblr post or you don't follow me on Tumblr, I had a hell of a work week this past week lol and wasn't up to updating yesterday since I had to decompress from all the stress and anxiety. All is well (for now lol), don't worry and hopefully the upcoming week will be better so that I can stick to updating this on Friday nights/early Saturday mornings in my timezone. 
> 
> Even though Scott is an asshole lol, I hope you enjoyed the update! There is lots more to come and I can't wait for you all to read it. We are slowly but surely getting closer to Billary eventually reconciling so hang in there! :) 
> 
> I hope you all have a lovely Sunday and rest of your week! See you next time.


	21. Some Unholy War

Hillary and Scott had managed to get a few hours of on and off sleep that night, sleeping when they could whenever the baby slept. And eventually the nurses took Cassandra to the nursery for a few hours so that Hillary could get some solid uninterrupted rest. But now, it was the next morning and Hillary and Cassandra were up bright and early. Hillary had just finished feeding the newborn and getting her settled while Scott had gone down to the cafeteria to get him and Hillary some breakfast. Hillary was feeling much more rested and relaxed than she had felt the previous evening.    
Hillary suddenly heard her Blackberry start to ring and vibrate from where she had left it charging on the nightstand the night before. She gently lay Cassandra in her bassinet beside the bed and grabbed her phone.    
“Hello?”    
“Hey, Mom."   
“Oh, hi baby!” Hillary smiled to herself, hearing Jessica’s voice on the other end. “How are you doing?”    
“I’m great!” Jessica answered. “What about you? How’s everything going?”   
“I’m good,” Hillary assured her daughter. “You have a very hungry baby sister though.” She chuckled. “She just finished eating.”    
“Aww,” Jessica chuckled.    
“Are your sisters still asleep?” Hillary asked, curiously.    
“No, they’re up,” Jessica answered. “Sophia went back to sleep but Hayley’s watching cartoons and Chelsea and I are helping Dad make pancakes for breakfast.”    
“Aww,” Hillary smiled to herself at that image, feeling nostalgic for her old life all of a sudden. “How was last night?”   
“It was great actually!” Jessica enthusiastically answered. “After Hayley and Sophia went to bed, Chelsea, Bill, and I made ice cream sundaes and played card games with Dad. It was nice. It almost felt like…” Jessica paused. “Old times.” Jessica added quietly with a sad sigh.    
Hillary frowned to herself and quietly sighed, wishing she had been there with them.    
“But anyways,” Jessica cleared her throat. “I’m going to come see you in a few hours.”   
“You don’t have to do that, honey,” Hillary quietly said. “Spend time with Bill while you have the chance.”    
“Mom, of course I want to hang out with Bill and see him while he’s here but I also want to see you and the baby.”   
“Well, okay,” Hillary replied. “Suit yourself.”   
“I want to come. I miss you.”    
“Aww, I miss you, too, sweetie,” Hillary smiled to herself.    
“You must be exhausted after yesterday,” Jessica remarked, slightly chuckling.    
Hillary laughed. “Oh God, I _am_. But I got a few hours of sleep last night luckily. Thanks for being with me yesterday, Kitty Cat.”   
“You’re welcome, Mom,” Jessica quietly said before she changed the subject. “So, how’s Scott liking fatherhood so far?” She asked, attempting to be polite.   
“Oh, he absolutely loves it!” Hillary gushed, smiling to herself.    
“That’s good, mom. I’m happy for you,” Jessica softly replied but Hillary could hear the strain in her voice.    
“Thank you, Jess,” Hillary quietly said. “It seems like everything is finally coming together for us, huh?”    
“Yeah, looks like it.” Jessica softly chuckled, trying to keep the mood and the conversation light. “I feel bad though. All of us are getting our lives together while Bill’s is falling apart. We had a nice long talk after Chelsea went to bed last night and he told me everything.”    
“Well, Bill made his choices,” Hillary quietly said with a sad sigh.    
“I know, but I still feel bad for the guy,” Jessica sadly sighed. “Did you know Alexis dumped him and broke off their engagement? She cheated on him with one of her ex-boyfriends and just left him. She ran off to Nashville to start a new life with the ex after apparently reconciling with him. I mean, I know he left you for her in the first place but damn. Poor Bill.”    
“Yeah, that is sad,” Hillary agreed. She would have expected to feel a smug satisfaction at that, Bill getting a taste of his own medicine for once but Jessica was right. It was a horrible way to be dumped. Hillary knew all too well what it felt like to be cheated on and betrayed so she just felt bad for Bill that now he had to go through that same kind of pain himself.   
“He basically has no one,” Jessica pointed out. “Besides me, Chelsea, and Hayley.”    
“That’s horrible, honey,” Hillary agreed. “But there isn’t anything I can do about that.” She roughly sighed. “And like you said, he still has you girls.”    
“Yeah.” Jessica sadly sighed on the other end of the phone. “So, anyways. I’ll see you later today. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”   
“Okay. Sounds good, honey,” Hillary softly said. “Love you.”    
“Love you, too,” Jessica said before she hung up.    
  


Hillary occupied herself by calling a few more friends and family members to let them know that Cassandra had been born before Scott came back a few minutes later with a bagel and a coffee for Hillary.   
“Sorry, there was a really long line,” he apologized.    
Hillary waved him off. “No worries. Cassandra kept me company.” She lovingly smiled at her husband.    
“You guys doing okay?” Scott checked, passing Hillary’s breakfast to her.    
“We’re great!” Hillary assured him. She leaned in and gently pecked Scott’s lips.    
Scott smiled and picked up Cassandra so that Hillary would be able to eat her breakfast.    
“Aww, she’s so tiny,” Scott marvelled as he stared down at his newborn daughter.    
“I know,” Hillary chuckled. “God, I remember when Jess and Chelsea were that small.”   
“Aww,” Scott smiled at that thought. “Was Jessica’s father with you when you gave birth?”    
Hillary shook her head. “I was all by myself. My water broke unexpectedly and my mom’s flight was delayed.”    
“Oh.” Scott frowned, his brow furrowing. “Hillary.” He suddenly sadly sighed.    
“What?” Hillary shrugged and took a bite of her sesame seed bagel with cream cheese. “It’s not like I had a choice, right?” She chuckled.    
“I wish we were together then,” Scott sadly said.    
Hillary didn’t say anything and instead took a sip of her coffee.   
“What are you thinking?” Scott asked, realizing she had clammed up a bit.    
Hillary forced a smile. “I wish we had been together back then, too.”   
Scott gently smiled at his wife.    
“Jessica’s gonna come visit in a bit,” Hillary said, changing the subject.    
“Aww, that’s nice.” Scott nodded and smiled.    
“Yeah,” Hillary nodded. “She’s like my best friend.” Hillary chuckled. “Her and Chelsea.”    
“Aww, I know. You girls are so cute together.” Scott grinned.    
Hillary nodded and finished her breakfast.    
“Hello there, little one,” Hillary cooed when Scott passed Cassandra over to her a few minutes later. “I still can’t believe I have another baby.” Hillary chuckled in disbelief, everything still sinking in, seeing as not even twenty-four hours had passed yet since Cassandra had been born. After not being able to conceive naturally after having Chelsea, she had given up hope of ever having another biological child.    
“I’m so happy we have her,” Scott said, climbing into the bed beside Hillary and snuggling up to her. “I really thought I was never going to get the chance to be a father.”    
“Well, you’re going to be a great one,” Hillary assured him, resting her head on his shoulder.    
“You’re so amazing.” Scott smiled down at his wife. “Thank you for marrying me and having my child.”   
“You don’t have to thank me.” Hillary chuckled. She leaned up and softly pecked his cheek. She was in a particularly good mood that morning.    
“I think childbirth was the scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life,” Scott said, chuckling.    
“I’m sorry I was so freaked out,” Hillary sincerely apologized.    
“No, you had every right to be,” Scott assured her, chuckling. “It looked  _ really _ scary and I felt _so_ bad for you. I just wished that I could take the pain away from you. So I’m sorry that  _ I  _ was so freaked out.   
“It’s okay,” Hillary assured Scott, softly smiling.    
“I was a total ass,” Scott realized, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to be  _ so _ unsupportive.”   
“Thank you for apologizing,” Hillary said.    
“I think you’re the most amazing woman ever,” Scott remarked, looking at Hillary proudly. “Seriously, how the fuck did you do that without drugs?”    
“I honestly have no idea,” Hillary sincerely answered, laughing in disbelief.    
“Well, I think you’re absolutely incredible,” Scott complimented, kissing the top of her head.    
“Thanks,” Hillary smiled up at her husband. “I think I’m going to try to nap while the baby’s still content.”    
Scott nodded. “Okay.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Hillary’s head again.   
She passed the baby over to Scott and gently rested her head on his shoulder again. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep within seconds.    
Scott stared softly down at Cassandra in awe, and gently stroked her cheek.    
“You look just like your mama,” Scott quietly whispered in a soothing tone. “You’re going to be so gorgeous one day, Cassandra, just like your mommy and your sisters.”   
The baby happily cooed and gurgled in response.    
“I bet you’ll be funny and smart like your Mommy too,” Scott grinned, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on Cassandra’s forehead. “I love you  _ so _ much, Cassie.”    
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t think she’d be sleeping,” Jessica whispered as she suddenly entered the room unannounced, gesturing with her head towards her mother who was still sound asleep. “I should have texted first.”   
“It’s okay,” Scott whispered. “Have a seat.”    
Jessica nodded and sat down in the lone chair beside Hillary’s bed.    
“How’s she doing?” Jessica whispered, referring to her mother.    
“She’s good. She’s really good,” Scott quietly answered.    
“Well that’s good.” Jessica nodded. “When can she and Cassandra go home?”    
“Either tonight or tomorrow morning,” Scott answered.    
Jessica nodded. “That’s good. Hayley and Chelsea really miss Mom.”   
“Well, she misses them,” Scott replied just as  Hillary’s eyes slowly drifted open as she heard voices in the room.    
“Oh, hey, Jessie girl,” she sleepily smiled.    
“Hi, mom.” Jessica smiled down at her mother. “How are you feeling?”   
“I’m good.” Hillary nodded. “A little tired and a little sore still but otherwise, I’m doing alright.”   
“Good.” Jessica softly smiled and nodded.    
“Yeah.” Hillary nodded slightly. “I missed you and your sisters last night though.”   
“Aww, we missed you, too,” Jessica assured her mother. “Can I hold Cassandra?”    
“Of course,” Scott said, nodding as he passed the baby over to her big sister.    
“Hi there,” Jessica cooed, carefully cradling her baby sister and holding the baby close to her. “Wow, she’s so little.”    
“I know,” Scott agreed, nodding.    
“She is  _ too  _ cute,” Jessica broadly grinned. “I love her already.” She smiled down at the baby. “God, I miss when Sophie was this small.”    
Hillary softly smiled at her two daughters. “Are your sisters here, too?”    
Jessica shook her head. “Hayley wanted to go to the park with Chelsea but Chelsea said she’ll get Dad to drive her and Hayley to the hospital later.”    
Hillary nodded and smiled. “Perfect.”    
Jessica nodded and smiled down at Cassandra who was happily cooing away. “She is so beautiful, Mom.”   
“We know,” Scott chuckled.    
Jessica laughed slightly. “And Oh my God, Sophia is absolutely  _ obsessed _ with Bill. It’s the cutest thing ever.”    
“That’s nice, sweetie,” Hillary softly said, noticing Scott’s jaw tense at the mention of Bill’s name.    
Jessica nodded and didn’t say anything else, noticing the awkward tension in the room her comment had just created. The awkward silence was broken when Cassandra suddenly started to cry.    
“Shhh, honey,” Hillary soothed as Jessica passed the baby to her.    
“Is she hungry?” Scott asked.    
“I don’t think so,” Hillary shook her head. “I just fed her and her diaper's still dry. I think she’s just tired,” Hillary said, as she gently rocked the baby, trying to calm her down.    
Scott nodded.    
“You  _ were _ tired,” Hillary softly smiled as Cassandra calmed down and closed her eyes a few minutes later.    
“I miss Sophia.” Jessica sighed, as Hillary placed a now sleeping Cassandra into her bassinet.    
“Aww, you should go home and be with her,” Hillary said.    
Jessica shook her head. “It’s okay. Besides, she’s totally obsessing over Bill right now. She only wants _him_ to hold her. It’s so cute.” Jessica chuckled.    
“Aww, that is cute,” Hillary smiled and chuckled, ignoring the look on Scott’s face.    
“I think Hayley is a little jealous though.” Jessica frowned. “Chelsea and I are trying to make sure that Bill and Hayley get to spend as much time as possible together while he’s here but I want Sophia to get to know him, too. You know? He's her grandpa.”    
Hillary chuckled. “Hayley gets jealous easily. Don’t worry about it.”    
“Okay.” Jessica nodded.    
“You were a little jealous of Chelsea when she was first born,” Hillary teased with a smirk.    
“I was?” Jessica chuckled.    
Hillary nodded. “Oh, yeah.  _ Big _ time. But Bill and I talked to you and reassured you that we still loved you just as much as we loved Chelsea. And then you and Chelsea were best friends from that day forward.”    
“Aww,” Jessica softly smiled. “I want to find someone one day who loves Sophia and I as much as Bill loved us when he first met us.”    
Scott clenched his jaw, looking visibly angry causing Hillary to look down and away from him.    
“Yeah, well, Bill left didn’t he?” Scott angrily spat out.    
“Right.” Hillary slowly nodded.    
Jessica rolled her eyes at Scott and stormed out of the room, not in the mood to argue with Scott or to have to defend Bill’s role as a parent to Scott.    
Scott rolled his eyes and harshly sighed. “Your fucking kids, I swear.”   
“Don’t start!” Hillary harshly warned, raising a finger at Scott.    
“I just don’t understand why the hell they can’t accept that  _ we’re _ together,” Scott explained. "That Bill's gone."    
“Because Bill is their father,” Hillary softly retorted. “And they love him.”    
“He’s not Jess’s father!” Scott angrily pointed out.    
“Yes he is, Scott.” Hillary harshly sighed. “I  _ never _ want to hear you say that he isn’t again. Okay?”   
“Well, he isn’t.” Scott shrugged.    
“Not biologically, no. But he’s always been there for her,” Hillary gently explained. “He is her dad, okay? He’s a better father to her than her biological dad is. He practically raised her and he loves her just as much as he loves Chelsea and Hayley. Okay?"    
“Well, I don’t like that your kids hate me.” Scott harshly sighed.    
“They don’t hate you,” Hillary softly chuckled. “They like you. They’re just very loyal to Bill obviously.”    
Scott sighed again. “Okay, fine. Whatever.”   
Hillary frowned just as Jessica came back to Hillary’s room after she had gone to one of the hospital’s coffee shops to collect her thoughts and cool down. Hillary looked up in surprise, not expecting Jessica to come back.    
“I’m sorry.” Jessica sincerely apologized. “I brought you guys coffee.”    
“Thanks, honey.” Hillary softly smiled as Jessica left the tray of coffees on the nightstand.    
Scott scoffed in annoyance causing Jessica to glare at him. If looks could kill…    
“Stop it, Scott.” Hillary shot him a look of annoyance.    
“It’s fine. I’ll leave.” Jessica abruptly said as she turned for the door.    
“Jess, no!” Hillary pleaded.    
“It’s okay, mom. You’ve chosen him  _ a lot _ over us recently!” Jessica snapped before she stormed out of the room again.    
Scott sighed harshly as Hillary’s eyes pooled with tears. She tried busying herself with Cassandra to keep from crying.    
“Where are you going?” Hillary asked as she scooped up Cassandra, seeing Scott get up off the bed.    
“Out!” Scott snapped.   
“Don’t yell at me!” Hillary snapped back.    
Cassandra started crying just as Scott rolled his eyes at Hillary.    
“I’m just getting a snack,” Scott explained a moment later, in a much calmer tone. He sighed. “I’ll be right back.”   
Hillary nodded. “Fine.”    
“I’m sorry I snapped,” Scott apologized.    
“It’s okay,” Hillary sadly sighed. “Go eat.”    
Scott nodded. “I’ll bring you back something.”   
Hillary nodded and cuddled Cassandra close to her, trying to calm the crying newborn down as Scott left the room. 

* * * * *

When Scott returned to the room a few minutes later, ihe was in a much more calm and collected state. After Hillary had gotten Cassandra calmed down, Scott had changed his first diaper, taken a few photos of Hillary and Cassandra, and eventually they decided that maybe it would be best for Scott to go home for a few hours to take a shower and get a proper nap in. Hillary insisted that she would be fine with the baby on her own. She was looking forward to having some one-on-one mommy-daughter time with the baby and she figured that her and Scott needed some space from each other for a few hours. They would both probably benefit from some alone time apart from one another. 

Scott had just left the hospital when Hillary’s cell phone suddenly rang.    
“Hello?” She answered, after she had gently placed Cassandra down in her bassinet.    
“Hi,” Jessica quietly said on the other end.    
“Oh, hey,” Hillary replied, surprised to hear from her eldest daughter. “I’m so sorry about earlier, honey.”   
“It’s fine.” Jessica sadly sighed, not sounding like everything was fine.    
“What is it, baby?” Hillary asked, frowning to herself.    
“You and Scott are just annoying,” Jessica sighed again.    
“Excuse me?” Hillary loudly scoffed.    
“You are,” Jessica nonchalantly said.    
Hillary scoffed again. “Are we annoying when we watch  _ your  _ kid for free? Or let you live in a house  _ I  _ pay for, rent free because you’ve blown all your money?”   
“I do not blow my money!” Jessica argued. “Textbooks and food, and the things Sophie needs are so expensive! And I work, too! Do you know how hard it is to be a single mom who works part-time and goes to graduate school?”    
“I do know,” Hillary simply said, her lips pursed in a straight line. “Because I did it myself when you were Sophia's age. I did it alone, might I add. Completely _alone_. Without the support of anybody. So you should be very thankful that you have Scott and I.”   
Jessica loudly scoffed at that comment.    
“You know I’m right, Jessica,” Hillary said. “We let you stay with us for _months_ when she was first born. Much longer than we initially agreed to. You and Sophia  _ still _ sleepover all the time even though you have a perfectly good house of your own.”   
“Fine,” Jessica sighed. “We’ll get out of your hair then, if that’s how you feel.” She shook her head even though she knew her mom couldn’t see her. “I can’t believe you’re like this now, Mom. You’re so selfish. All you care about is yourself!”    
“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Hillary argued.    
Cassandra suddenly woke up from her nap and started loudly crying.    
“I have to go,” Hillary said before she abruptly hung up on Jessica. 

* * * * *

Jessica sat on her bed and stared at her phone in stunned silence with tears slowly rolling down her face after the brutal fight her and her mother had just had. She quickly ran downstairs, looking for Bill. She found him sitting on the couch in the living room of her townhouse, reading. He suddenly looked up from his book and took off his reading glasses upon seeing Jessica frantically run into the room, looking visibly upset. 

“Bill!” Jessica cried softly before he had even had a chance to ask her what was wrong. “Bill, I want to go back to Arkansas with you!” 

To Be Continued... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again, I missed updating on Friday night because I was just so tired that I couldn't even keep my eyes open lol. Guess I need to start drinking a coffee in the late afternoons or in the evenings after work on Fridays if I want to have enough energy to update this on Friday nights lol. But nevertheless, here's this week's update and I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> I read all your comments on the last chapter and thank you so much for the kind words and well wishes! They are much appreciated and motivate me to keep going with this story! I know Hillary isn't acting like herself right now and isn't being very nice. She will try to make things right with her daughters again over the next couple of chapters but unfortunately it is going to be a few more chapters until she "sees the light" and leaves Scott (or at least starts to consider leaving him) so hang in there! Her behaviour will get better eventually and she'll be back to being the Hillary we all know and love soon, I promise. 
> 
> And for the Jessica and Bill fans out there, there is LOTS of Jessica and Bill content in the next chapter :) 
> 
> Again, I hope you enjoyed the update and see ya next time! :D


	22. Family Ties

Bill’s brow furrowed in confusion upon hearing what had just come out of his daughter’s mouth and he frowned. “Why, honey? What’s going on?” He patted the empty space on the couch beside him for Jessica to come join him.   
“I can’t take it here anymore!” Jessica cried, sitting down beside Bill and snuggling up to him like she would do whenever she was upset as a little girl. “I miss you too much. And mom is driving me _crazy_! She’s not herself anymore.” Jessica sadly shook her head and buried her head in the crook of Bill’s shoulder.  
“Well, actually, sweetheart,” Bill started as he wrapped his arms around Jessica and soothingly ran his large hands up and down across her back, trying to calm her down. “I was thinking that there’s nothing left for me in Arkansas. Maybe I can move here to New Haven, so that I can be close to Chelsea and Hayley and so that I can be here to help you out with Sophia.”  
“Really?” Jessica’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Bill’s proposal. She looked up at him with a hopeful expression feeling the happiest she had felt in days.  
Bill nodded, as he started gently stroking Jessica’s long blond hair. “And then you don’t have to leave your mom. She loves you so much, Jess. It would tear her apart if you and Sophie moved to Arkansas.”  
“No, she loves the idea of her new family. _That’s_ what she loves,” Jessica bitterly said in a quiet tone. “With her perfect husband and her perfect house and her perfect job and her perfect _fucking_ life.” Jessica angrily rolled her eyes.  
“It’s okay, Jess,” Bill soothed in a quiet voice, frowning at how worked up his daughter was.  
“No, it isn’t.” Jessica shook her head. “She’s a bitch. And I _hate_ Scott. I can't stand him."   
“Don’t call your mom that word!” Bill firmly scolded.  
“I don’t care. I’m fucking sick of her.” Jessica angrily shook her head again.  
“Jess, stop it.” Bill sadly sighed, gently rubbing her back again. “She’s just trying to build a new life.” He frowned and looked down.  
“You’re no help either,” Jessica accused, harshly sighing.  
“What do you mean?” Bill’s brow furrowed.  
“I don’t know, Bill!” Jessica flopped back against the couch in frustration. “I’m just sick of _everything_ , I guess. Mom has changed the past few months. _A lot_.”  
“Maybe she hasn’t,” Bill tried, with a slight frown even though he knew his ex-wife _had_ changed from the woman he had fallen in love with. He slightly shrugged, trying to keep his emotions in check.  
“She hasn’t, not really,” Jessica agreed. “But she just acts so... _different_ than she did when she was with you. I guess it's because she’s trying to convince herself that she’s happy.” Jessica sadly sighed and frowned. “And hell, maybe she is.” Jessica shrugged. “I don’t think she is though. I don’t think she’s really and truly in love with Scott.”  
“I am so sorry, Jess,” Bill apologized, looking stricken as he realized none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for his horrible reckless behavior the last year and eight months. He put his head in his hands and sighed harshly. “This really is all my fault.”  
“Yeah, it is.” Jessica bitterly laughed, glad that Bill was self-aware enough to realize it.  
Bill sighed again before he looked at Jessica with a look of sadness in his eyes. “Can I tell you something?”  
“Of course. Anything.” Jessica gave Bill an encouraging look.  
“Alexis didn’t just cheat on me and leave me for her ex-boyfriend,” Bill began. He hesitated for a moment before he continued. “The reason she left and moved to Nashville with him is because she got...pregnant.”  
Jessica suddenly loudly gasped. “Wait, what!?”  
Bill sadly nodded. “We thought it was my baby at first but...the math didn’t add up. That’s when we broke off the engagement and she left. When we realized that it was _his_ baby.”  
“Oh my God, Bill. I am _so_ sorry.” Jessica sadly shook her head. She still hated that he had cheated on her mother and left her mother for this slut but what had happened to her stepfather was absolutely horrible.  
Bill shrugged and sadly nodded again. “And I’m not going to lie. I had grown attached to the idea of having another child. A son...we found out it was going to be a boy.” Bill’s voice caught with emotion at that last sentence.  
Jessica nodded in understanding. “Of course.”  
“My relationship with Alexis was basically over anyways but I already loved that little boy.” Bill shook his head in an effort to keep the unshed tears from falling.  
“I am so sorry, Bill,” Jessica repeated, leaning over and giving Bill a comforting hug.  
Bill sadly sighed and squeezed Jessica in return.  
“Hey, at least you have Sophie now?” Jessica pointed out.  
“Yeah but she’s not mine either. She’s yours,” Bill pointed out with a sad chuckle.  
“Well, at least you get to be in her life now.” Jessica shrugged. She sadly sighed as she rubbed Bill’s back. “God, the two of us are just a mess aren’t we?” Jessica chuckled, brushing her tears off her cheeks with her index fingers.  
Bill managed to chuckle.  
“I hate when mom and I fight.” Jessica sadly sighed.  
“She hates it too,” Bill said. He chuckled suddenly. “God, remember when you were sixteen? You and your mom fought _constantly_ when you were that age.”  
“Oh God, I know.” Jessica groaned at the memories. She bitterly chuckled. “We barely talked that _entire_ year.”  
“I remember,” Bill laughed bitterly at the memories. “But you got past your differences eventually and made up and became best friends again, right?”  
“Yeah.” Jessica gently nodded.  
“So you’ll make up this time,” Bill softly assured Jessica. “You two can’t stay mad at each other for long.”  
Jessica nodded in agreement and rested her head against Bill’s shoulder. “You’re right, Bill. Thanks.” She weakly smiled up at him.  
Bill softly smiled back at her.   
“I’m glad you’re moving here, Bill. I really missed you,” Jessica admitted.  
“And I missed you and your sisters like crazy, too.” Bill nodded as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Jessica’s head.  
“But what about your job?” Jessica asked, frowning in confusion.  
Bill harshly sighed. “They didn’t renew my contract for the fall semester. I’ll just get a TA to cover for me the rest of the summer semester.”  
Jessica frowned and sadly sighed. She nodded. “I’m sorry, Bill. But you can stay in my guest room as long as you need to. Until you find your own place. Or you can stay here permanently. I don’t mind. Sophia and I would love it,” Jessica informed him with a gentle smile.  
“Thank you, Jess.” Bill smiled tenderly at her. “I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me and then when you’re ready, depending on where you want to live when you’re finished school, I’ll help you get set up anywhere you want.”  
“That sounds amazing,” Jessica said, nearly tearing up because of Bill’s generosity. She gave him a tender look. “Why are you so nice to me? I’m not your daughter,” she said in a quiet voice.  
“Honey, don’t say that,” Bill said. “ _Of course_ you’re my daughter. I’d do _anything_ for you. And besides you were the daughter I always wanted, when I first met you.”  
Jessica smiled up at him waiting for him to continue.  
“It’s been the privilege of a lifetime watching you grow up,” Bill added.  
Jessica gently smiled and had to blink back her tears and swallow the lump in her throat when the phone suddenly rang, catching both Bill and Jessica by surprise.  
“Who is it?” Bill asked as Jessica grabbed it from its cradle on the end table and checked the call display.  
“It’s Nick.” Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes.  
“You can answer it if you want,” Bill gently encouraged with a small shrug. "I won't mind."   
Jessica shook her head and gently rested the cordless handset on the coffee table. Even though she knew Bill wouldn't be jealous or insecure in the slightest if she spoke to her biological father, she just didn't feel like it in that moment. “It’s okay. I can call him back later."   
Bill nodded understandingly.  
“And anyways, you're my dad. I don’t care what anybody says.” Jessica wrapped her arms around her stepfather.  
Bill softly smiled and squeezed her in return. “Okay, honey,” he said, kissing her cheek.  
“I do _need_ to call mom though,” Jessica said as she pulled away from Bill’s embrace. “I need to make things right with her. I hate when we fight.”  
Bill nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”  
Jessica nodded and grabbed the phone from where she had previously left it on the coffee table. She went upstairs to her bedroom so that she could have some privacy. After walking over to Sophia’s crib and checking on her, upon seeing that her daughter was still napping soundly, she dialed Hillary’s cell phone number and sat down on the edge of her bed.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi, mom.” Jessica sighed.  
“Jess.” Her mother sounded surprised to hear from her. “Jessie, why are you so mad at me?” Hillary quietly asked.  
Jessica harshly sighed. “Listen, Mom. I’m really sorry. But you’ve just changed, okay? Or maybe _I’ve_ changed. I don’t know.”  
We’re still us, Jess,” Hillary insisted with a quiet sigh.  
“No, Mom. This is not _us_. And maybe I am just being really childish and jealous but I don’t really care.”  
“Well, _how_ do you think I’m different?” Hillary asked, sighing again.  
“I don’t know, mom. You’ve just changed a lot since you married Scott.”  
“How, sweetie?” Hillary quietly asked, genuinely confused.  
“Well, we used to spend time together _all_ the time. But before you were on bed rest you were always brushing me off for Scott and something he had planned. He’s really controlling, Mom.”  
“He isn’t!” Hillary denied, even though deep down she knew Jessica was telling the truth. “I just want to make him happy. What’s so bad about that?”  
“But, Mom. He doesn’t make _you_ happy,” Jessica softly said.  
“And how would you know that?” Hillary asked, defensively.  
“Because I know you!” Jessica insisted. “I can just tell that you’re not happy.”  
“Well, you obviously don’t know me that well then. I’m happy,” Hillary insisted.  
“Mom, I’m not trying to upset you,” Jessica quietly said.  
“Well that’s what you’re doing!” Hillary exclaimed. “I have to go.”  
“Mom, wait! I’m sorry. I just want to talk.”  
Hillary sighed but she stayed on the line.  
“You and Scott rushed into things,” Jessica gently said.  
“I am _not_ talking about this with you, Jessica,” Hillary whispered.  
“Why?” Jessica sounded taken aback. “We used to be able to talk about everything.”  
“I need to go, Jess,” Hillary sighed, feeling uncomfortable discussing private matters with her daughter. “Um, Cassandra is hungry," she made up.   
“Fine.” Jessica harshly sighed. “Then I’ll come to the hospital.”  
“You don’t have to.”  
“Well, I am,” Jessica insisted. “Bill’s coming, too.”  
“What?” Hillary gasped. “Why? No, Jessie. No, no, no. That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”  
“No, I don’t think it is,” Jessica nonchalantly said.  
“Jess, Scott will be back soon. _Please_ don’t bring Bill by.”  
“Well, fine,” Jessica sighed. “But I’ll see you shortly.”  
“Okay,” Hillary sadly sighed before Jessica hung up on her.  
  


Jessica quickly walked downstairs and back into the living room where Bill had resumed reading.  
“I’m going to the hospital,” Jessica announced with a sigh.  
Bill nodded. “Okay. Chelsea and I will stay with the kids.”  
“Thanks.” Jessica nodded and grabbed her purse. 

* * * * *

When Jessica tentatively entered Hillary’s hospital room a while later, Hillary was sitting up in bed feeding Cassandra. She looked up at Jessica in surprise.  
“Hi,” she said softly.  
“Hey,” Jessica said, taking a seat in the chair next to Hillary’s bed. “I miss you.”  
Hillary sighed as she looked over at her daughter. “I miss you, too. And I’m so sorry about everything.”  
“Me, too,” Jessica quietly said.  
Hillary finished feeding Cassandra and patted the empty spot on the bed beside her.  
“I love Scott. Don’t tell me I don’t,” Hillary quietly said as Jessica crawled into the bed beside her.  
“I believe that you love him.” Jessica nodded. “But I don’t believe that you’re _in_ love with him.”  
“Well, that’s none of your business.” Hillary shook her head.  
“Yes, it _is_ my business because you’re changing,” Jessica insisted. “And I don’t think you’re happy. But I _want_ you to be happy.”  
“I’m happy, Jess!” Hillary insisted. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”  
“Because you’re not in love with Scott,” Jessica sharply accused.  
“You don’t know that!” Hillary argued.  
“But I do,” Jessica softly said, looking down.  
“No you don’t!” Hillary exclaimed. “You need to mind your own business, Jessica Rodham,” she added after a beat.  
“And you need to wake up and realize that you _could_ be happy again!” Jessica retorted.  
“I’m happy!” Hillary insisted. “I have a new baby and a husband and a beautiful house and a wonderful life so shut it.”  
“Hmmm, it's funny how the only child you mentioned just now was Cassandra,” Jessica sadly said.  
Hillary sighed. “She’s mine and Scott’s. That’s what I meant. You know what I meant.”  
Jessica just shook her head in disbelief and sighed. “I just came to tell you that Bill’s moving to Connecticut and he’s moving in with me.”  
“Well, that’s fan freaking tastic, Jessica,” Hillary sarcastically said. “What a great story.” She rolled her eyes.  
“This will be better for everyone, mom,” Jessica insisted in a quiet voice. “He doesn’t have _anyone_ in Arkansas anymore. This way Sophia can get to know her grandpa and Chelsea and Hayley don’t have to miss him so much anymore.”  
“I don’t care,” Hillary said, staring straight ahead. “He’s not my husband any more.” She shrugged.  
Jessica just nodded before she got out of the bed. “I’ll talk to you later, mom...if you want.”  
“Of course I’ll want to talk to you,” Hillary quietly said.  
“Really?” Jessica asked. “Because you don’t really seem like it.”  
Hillary sighed. “I just don’t like it when you meddle, Jessica. It’s very sweet that you’re worried about me but it's _my_ business so you need to stay out of it.”  
“I want you to be happy, mom,” Jessica said with a small sigh.  
“I’m happy.” Hillary forced a smile.  
Jessica nodded. “Okay, mom. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
“Can I have a hug?” Hillary asked, putting Cassandra down in her bassinet.  
Jessica nodded and wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders.  
“I love you,” Hillary quietly said, squeezing Jessica in return.  
“Love you, too, mom,” Jessica quietly said. “See you later.”  
Hillary nodded and pecked Jessica’s cheek before Jessica left the room.  
  


As Jessica was leaving, she passed Scott in the hallway while he was on his way back to Hillary’s room.  
“Hey,” he said, nodding at her in acknowledgement.  
“Hi,” Jessica quietly said. She looked down.  
Scott looked at her quizzically. “You okay?”  
Jessica shrugged. “Mom and I are fighting.”  
“Oh.” Scott frowned. “She hates it when you two fight.”  
“She’s not the only one who hates it,” Jessica murmured. “But go see her. She misses you.” She started walking away.  
“Jess!” Scott called after her.  
She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. “Yes?”  
Scott sighed. “Listen. I know me and you aren’t exactly best friends but I do love your mother. I’ve never cared about anybody so much.”  
Jessica just nodded, letting him continue.  
“She’s the love of my life and I’m not going anywhere. So you better get used to me.”  
Jessica opened her mouth to say something in return but she changed her mind and stopped herself before she could say something she would later regret. Instead she just shook her head and started walking away again.  
Scott scowled at her before he shook his head to himself and continued on towards Hillary’s room.  
  


He smiled as he entered Hillary’s room and saw her holding Cassandra.  
“How are my girls doing?” He grinned.  
“We’re fine,” Hillary answered with a soft smile.  
“I ran into Jessica,” Scott said, taking a seat next to Hillary’s bed.  
“Oh?” Hillary said.  
Scott nodded. “Maybe you could try talking her out of hating me.”  
Hillary scoffed. “She doesn’t _hate_ you. She likes you.”  
“I don’t believe you,” Scott replied. “And it’s not fair because Bill isn’t her father either.”  
“Scott,” Hillary harshly sighed. How many times would she have to explain this to her husband? “Bill raised her. Of course he’s her father. He may not be her biological father but he _is_ her daddy. He’s known her since she was three and he’s been a better dad to her than her real father.”  
“I don’t care,” Scott bitterly said. “I want your kids to like me. I’ve been nothing but nice to them.”  
“It’s not that her and Chelsea don’t like you, Scott,” Hillary tried. “This has just been a big adjustment for them but they’re trying.”  
Scott sadly sighed.  
Hillary leaned over and pecked his cheek. “They like you, Scott. I promise.”  
Scott just nodded and sighed. “Can I hold her?” He asked, gesturing to Cassandra.  
“Of course.” Hillary nodded and passed the baby over.  
“She is amazing,” Scott grinned as he stared down at the baby girl in his arms.  
“I know,” Hillary nodded in agreement.  
“I already love her _so_ much,” Scott gushed. “I really can’t believe I’m actually a daddy.”  
Hillary softly smiled. “You'll be a great dad.”  
“I know,” Scott teased.  
“Mr. Cocky,” Hillary teased with a smirk.  
“Hey, it's okay to be cocky when you have reason to be,” Scott chuckled.  
Hillary laughed. “Fine. I guess you’re right.”  
“I am right,” Scott smirked. “I have a kick-ass wife and a gorgeous baby girl. Plus an awesome house and I’m the managing partner of a law firm. I’m _going_ to be cocky.” He laughed.  
“You are so full of yourself,” Hillary laughed.  
“And do you have a problem with that little lady?” Scott teased.  
“I will if you call me little lady again,” Hillary teased.  
Scott chuckled. “And why shouldn’t I call you that?”  
“Because this isn’t the 1950s,” Hillary softly chuckled.  
“But you’re a lady and you’re little,” Scott shrugged and chuckled.  
“Well, you’ll have to pick another pet name.” Hillary shrugged.  
“Fine. Cupcake?” Scott tried.  
“Eww,” Hillary scrunched up her face.  
“Well what then?” Scott laughed.  
Hillary shrugged. “I don’t know. Honey’s fine.”  
“But it’s so generic,” Scott pointed out. “I’m going to find you a good one, don’t worry.”  
Hillary suddenly sadly sighed.  
“What?” Scott frowned.  
Hillary forced a smile. “Nothing. Everything’s great.”  
  
* * * * *

“How did that go?” Bill asked as Jessica arrived back home and entered the kitchen, where Bill was going through Jessica’s kitchen pantry, looking for something to eat.  
Jessica shrugged. “Not great. She hates me.”  
“Oh, honey,” Bill sighed. “No she doesn’t. She loves you more than anything else in this world.”   
Jessica rolled her eyes. “She’s being a bitch.”  
Bill loudly scoffed. “Don’t call her that! She’s your mother!”  
Jessica just shrugged again. “And I hate Scott even more.”  
“Well, I can’t disagree with you on that one,” Bill said, nodding. “But don’t call your mom a bitch, okay?”  
“Fine,” Jessica sighed. “What are you up to?”  
“Well, I was going to make some lunch for all of us but you don’t have much to choose from,” Bill replied.  
Jessica sighed harshly. “I know. I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping yet this week.” She bit her lip and frowned. “And I’m kind of low on money right now. I just paid the bills and I don’t get paid again until next Friday. Grad school and a baby is expensive.”  
“I know, sweetie,” Bill sighed, giving Jessica a sympathetic look. “Come on. Let’s go to the store and I’ll get you and Sophia anything you girls want.”  
“That’s okay.” Jessica shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”  
“Jess. Let me,” Bill urged. “I want to help. If I’m going to be living here, I have to pitch in, right?”  
“Fine, but just this once,” Jessica gave in.  
Bill nodded. “Anytime you need money, Jess.”  
“No, Bill.” Jessica shook her head again. “Not _anytime_. I have a job and I’ll get a better one when I’m finished school.”  
“I know, sweetie, and I’m very proud of you for juggling everything that you have on your plate. But I do want you to know that if you ever need _anything_ I am more than happy to help you out. Any time.”  
Jessica just nodded, feeling touched. She softly smiled at him. “Thank you, Bill. That means _a lot._ ”  
Bill nodded and walked over to the top of the basement stairs. “Chelsea?” He called downstairs to where Chelsea was playing with Hayley.  
“Yeah?” Chelsea said, coming up the stairs with Hayley behind her a few minutes later.  
“Can you watch Hayley for a little bit longer?” Bill asked. “Jessica and I are going grocery shopping.”  
Chelsea nodded. “Sure, no problem.”  
“Thanks, Chels,” Jessica said.  
“Wait, can we go see mom?” Chelsea suddenly asked.  
Bill nodded. “Yeah, I think we can make that happen. We can drop you and your sister off on our way to the store.”  
Chelsea nodded. “Thanks.”  
“No problem,” Jessica said, as she scooped up Sophia from her playpen.  
“Mama!” Sophia happily cooed, eliciting a gasp from Jessica.  
“Mama! Mama! Mama!” Sophia continued to babble.  
“Wait, was that her first word?” Bill realized.  
“Uh-huh,” Jessica nodded with a wide toothy grin. “Good job, my sweet girl!”  
She leaned down and softly kissed her daughter's forehead, feeling incredibly proud.   
“She looks so much like you and your mom,” Bill complimented.  
Jessica weakly smiled and nodded. “She really does.”  
“And it looks like she’s going to be smart like her mommy and her grandma, too,” Bill pointed out, smiling softly at his granddaughter.  
“Yeah, looks like it,” Jessica chuckled as Bill and the girls made their way outside to where Jessica’s car was parked in the driveway. 

Chelsea and Jessica got Hayley and Sophia buckled into their car seats and Chelsea got into the backseat, in between the two girls.  
“Hi, Sophie,” Chelsea grinned at her niece, eliciting a happy laugh from the toddler.  
“She sure does love her aunties,” Bill said, as Jessica started driving.  
“She’s so cute!” Chelsea squealed.  
“I would love it if she slept through the night though,” Jessica chuckled through a yawn as she drove.  
Bill chuckled. “She’s still not sleeping through the night?”  
“Nope.” Jessica frowned and groaned.  
“Sorry,” Bill said apologetically.  
Jessica shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ve gotten used to being perpetually exhausted since the day she was born.” She chuckled. “Being a mom is hard.”  
Bill nodded. “I know. But you’re a great one.”  
Jessica nodded and softly smiled. “Thanks, Bill.”  
  


* * * * *  
  


A while later, they arrived at the hospital and Jessica offered to walk her sisters up to Hillary’s room.  
Hillary and Scott were cuddled up in bed when they arrived.  
“Mama!” Hayley excitedly squealed.  
“Hi, mom!” Chelsea enthusiastically greeted, holding Hayley’s hand and walking over to Hillary’s bed.  
“Hi, girls!” Hillary grinned, happy to see her daughters.  
“Hey,” Jessica said, a little awkwardly as she hung back by the door.  
“Hi, Jess,” Hillary quietly said, looking down.  
“I was just dropping them off,” Jessica explained, crossing her arms across her chest. “Bill and I are going grocery shopping.”  
Hillary nodded. “Oh, okay.”  
“See you later, I guess,” Jessica shrugged nonchalantly.  
“Love you,” Hillary said to her.  
Jessica just weakly smiled at her mother, not able to say it back this time. She quickly left the room and went back downstairs to the car.  
  


She sighed harshly as she got in the driver’s seat.  
“What is it?” Bill asked.  
Jessica shrugged as she put her seatbelt on. “She’s just annoying.”  
“No, she’s not,” Bill said, staring softly at Jessica.  
Jessica shrugged again as she started driving. “Well, she’s different now. She’s changed.”  
Bill sadly sighed and frowned. “I know, honey.”  
Jessica frowned and nodded as they headed for the grocery store.  
  


* * * * *  
  


Sophia cooed happily as Jessica unbuckled her from her car seat and Bill grabbed a shopping cart.  
“Mama!” Sophia happily cooed as Jessica put her in the shopping cart.  
“She’s beautiful,” Bill complimented as they walked into the store.  
“She is,” Jessica said quietly, softly smiling. “Do you want juice, baby girl?” Jessica cooed to her as they started shopping. “I need milk for Sophie, too. And diapers.” She harshly sighed and bit her lip. “I need everything basically. And I basically have no money right now.” She shook her head with a stressed out looking expression on her face.  
“I’m going to help you, Jess,” Bill assured her as they walked through the produce department.  
Jessica just nodded.  
“How’s school going?” Bill asked her, making conversation as they shopped.  
Jessica shrugged as she put some bananas into the shopping cart. “It’s fine, I guess. A little stressful. And I’m running on five hours of sleep. A week.”  
“Take a nap when we get home, Jess.” Bill frowned, a worried expression on his face. “I’m worried about you, honey.”  
“I’m fine,” Jessica insisted. “Mom did this on her own before she met you. She had a full-time job when I was a baby. I’m just weak.” She shook her head, disappointed in herself.   
“It’s okay to ask for help sometimes, Jess,” Bill assured her as they started walking over to the diaper aisle.  
“I’m fine,” Jessica repeated, shrugging. “I’m just going through a little rough patch right now.” She pulled her wallet out of her purse and started rooting through it. “Hold on. I think I have a coupon for diapers.”  
“Your mother has taught you well,” Bill chuckled.  
“Yeah, she has,” Jessica chuckled, blushing slightly. “Oh, I found a coupon for cereal, too!”  
“Don’t worry about coupons, Jess,” Bill assured her with a chuckle. “I told you, buy whatever you want. It’s on me.”  
Jessica looked at Bill, a look of extreme gratitude in her eyes. She finally nodded, accepting Bill's help. “Thank you,” she quietly said, putting a box of diapers into the cart. “I’ve been living off of instant ramen noodles and tuna the last couple of weeks,” she admitted with a chuckle. “Except when I go to Mom and Scott’s. They always have good food to eat at their house.”  
“Well, obviously,” Bill shrugged.  
Jessica nodded. “Scott taught Mom how to cook. He’s an _amazing_ cook actually. I'll give him that.”  
Bill nodded, his mouth in a straight line like he was visibly annoyed.  
“And don’t tell Mom but he’s paid my car payment for me the past few months.” Jessica bit her lip.  
“I won’t tell her,” Bill assured her. “But you didn’t have to ask him. I would have paid it for you.”  
Jessica shrugged. “We had lost touch again.”  
Bill harshly sighed, feeling guilty for his mistakes all over again. “Well I’ll pay it from now on.”  
“Thanks,” Jessica nodded. “I can handle it though.”  
“Well, I want to help you out,” Bill offered.  
“Bill, I don’t need your help,” Jessica shook her head, wanting to prove to herself that she could make it on her own.  
“At least let me help you get back on your feet,” Bill insisted as they made their way into the frozen foods aisle.  
“That actually sounds amazing right now,” Jessica realized.  
“I am more than happy to help you out right now, Jess,” Bill nodded, staring at Jessica softly. “You deserve it.”  
“Thank you, Bill,” Jessica said, gratefully, nearly tearing up over Bill’s gratitude.  
Bill smiled softly and leaned over, pecking Jessica on the top of her head. “No problem. I love you, sweetheart. Now like I said, buy whatever you want. It’s on me.”  
“Thanks,” Jessica smiled softly, as she grabbed a tub of her favorite brand of chocolate ice cream.  
Sophia suddenly reached out for Bill.  
“You look just like your mom and grandma,” Bill cooed, as he scooped her up.   
Sophia cooed and giggled happily at Bill.   
“ _And_ you look just like Chelsea,” Bill added. “That means you’re going to be gorgeous one day.” He smiled and kissed Sophia’s cheek.  
“Oh, stop it,” Jessica giggled, as she grabbed some of her favourite frozen dinners.  
“What? It’s true.” Bill chuckled.  
Jessica laughed when suddenly her stomach audibly growled. “What do they say? Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry?” She laughed, while putting a frozen lasagna into the cart.  
Bill chuckled. “We can pick up some lunch on our way back to the hospital to pick up Chelsea and Hayley.”  
Jessica nodded in agreement. “That sounds good. I want to see Mom again to try one last time to make things right.”  
Bill nodded.  
“You should meet Cassandra,” Jessica tried.  
Bill shook his head. “I don’t think that’d be appropriate, Jess. And I _really_ don’t want to have to see Scott.”  
Jessica shrugged. “She’s mad at me, too, Bill. It won’t be that bad.”  
“No, it _will_ be that bad. And I don’t want to upset her,” Bill insisted. “Just tell her I wish her the best. Because she deserves the best. The very best.” He sadly sighed and looked down.  
“Oh, Bill,” Jessica sadly sighed and frowned.  
Bill sighed and awkwardly cleared his throat.   
Jessica bit her lip and continued shopping, at a loss for words of what to say.

  
* * * * *

“Bill, she really does still love you,” Jessica suddenly said after they had paid for their groceries and Bill was driving Jessica back to the hospital.  
“I don’t believe that at all.” Bill shook his head. “I hurt her so badly and for that, I deserve to be alone, Jess.”  
“Just wait for her, okay?” Jessica insisted. “You two were made for each other.”  
“Jess,” Bill sadly sighed, a look of sadness and regret falling over his face. “She’s married and she’s happy. She has a new baby. She’s never coming back to me, sweetheart.”  
Jessica just sadly nodded and sighed as Bill pulled up to the hospital. “Fine. See you later then.”  
Bill nodded. “Call me when you girls are ready to be picked up.”  
Jessica nodded. She got out of the car, unbuckled Sophia from her car seat in the backseat and went upstairs to the maternity ward to Hillary’s room.  
“Hey!” Hillary smiled, seeing Jessica walk into the room.  
“Hi.” Jessica softly smiled at her mother in return.  
“Where are Hayley and Chelsea?” Jessica asked, sitting down beside her mother’s bed.  
“Scott took them to get some lunch,” Hillary answered as she scooped up Cassandra from her bassinet.  
Jessica nodded as Cassandra contentedly cooed.  
“She is _too_ cute,” Jessica smiled down at her baby sister.  
“I know,” Hillary smiled and nodded. “She looks like you.”  
“Really?” Jessica asked in surprise.  
Hillary nodded. “Yep. Just like you.”  
Jessica softly smiled. “All of us look alike.”  
“I’m sorry, Jessica.” Hillary suddenly sadly sighed.  
Jessica shrugged. “I just think you’re still in love with Bill.”  
“Well you think wrong,” Hillary insisted with a small shrug. “So, he’s moving to Connecticut?”  
Jessica nodded. “He’s going to be staying with me for a while.”  
Hillary sighed. “Has he said anything about me?”  
“Yeah, of course,” Jessica sighed. “He’s sorry for what he did to you and he wants you to be happy.”  
“He broke my heart, Jess,” Hillary said, her voice catching with emotion. "More than once."   
“Yeah, I know,” Jessica nodded and sadly sighed. “I’m just telling you what he said.”  
Hillary nodded.  
“Maybe you should give him a second chance,” Jessica tried.  
“I’m married, Jessica.”  
“Just come over for dinner one night,” Jessica gently suggested. “As a _friend._ ”  
“No.” Hillary said firmly, shaking her head. “Don’t say anything like that ever again. Bill and I are divorced. We’re always going to be divorced. I need you to mind your own business.”  
“So…” Jessica began, raising her right eyebrow in surprise. “You’re saying that since he’s moving in with me, that you’re going to completely stop coming over?”  
“Basically, yes.” Hillary nodded.  
“I’m not more important?” Jessica asked, a shocked expression on her face. “What about Sophia?”  
“I don’t care, Jessie.” Hillary shrugged. “You’re choosing him over me.”  
Jessica loudly gasped. “So, what? We’re just not going to talk anymore?” She teared up. “I’m not choosing him over you, mom. I just want the both of you to be a part of mine and Sophia’s lives.” Jessica shook her head in disbelief. “You two should never have gotten divorced, Mom.”  
“Well, we did,” Hillary rolled her eyes. “So I really need you to shut up now.” She suddenly forced a smile as Scott came back with Hayley and Chelsea.  
“Hey, girls.” Jessica weakly smiled at her sisters.  
“Hey!” Chelsea greeted. “Where’s Dad?”  
“I think he went back to my place for a bit,” Jessica answered.  
“Aww,” Chelsea sadly sighed.  
“Mama,” Hayley cooed as Chelsea placed her on the bed with Cassandra and Hillary.  
“Hi, baby girl,” Hillary grinned.  
“Can we stay with you and Dad again tonight?” Chelsea asked Jessica. “The doctor isn’t discharging Mom until the morning.”  
“Of course.” Jessica softly smiled.  
“Awesome!” Chelsea grinned as Cassandra quietly cooed.  
“Can I hold her, Mom?” Chelsea asked.  
Hillary nodded. “Of course. Come here.”  
Jessica and Chelsea traded places so that Chelsea could sit by her mother's bedside.  
“I love her so much,” Chelsea softly smiled as Hillary placed Cassandra in her arms.  
“She loves you, too." Hillary smiled.  
“She’s beautiful,” Chelsea marvelled.  
“Just like you,” Hillary said, staring softly over at Chelsea.  
Chelsea smiled. “She has so much hair.” She chuckled.  
“Oh, God, I know.” Hillary chuckled.  
“Um, Chelsea are you about ready to go?” Jessica awkwardly asked, wanting to get out of there and not feeling comfortable being around Scott.   
Chelsea sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”  
“I’ll drive you girls home,” Scott offered.  
“I can just call Bill to pick us up,” Jessica shrugged.  
“But Scott is offering to drive you,” Hillary said, gritting her teeth in annoyance.  
“Fine. That’s fine.” Jessica rolled her eyes. “We should probably bond. We’re a family now,” she added, her tone laced with sarcasm.  
“Jess, what’s wrong?” Chelsea asked softly, passing Cassandra back over to their mother.  
“Nothing.” Jessica harshly sighed. “I’m sorry.”  
“Your sister is just in a bad mood,” Hillary explained, glaring in annoyance at Jessica.  
“Let’s just go.” Jessica shook her head.  
“Will you be okay for a few minutes, Hill?” Scott asked.  
“Of course.” Hillary nodded. “Cassandra and I will just hang out for a bit.”  
Scott smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you two later.”  
“Bye, Cassandra. I love you,” Chelsea cooed.  
“Bye girls. I love you,” Hillary said, leaning down and kissing the top of Hayley’s head.  
“Bye, Mama,” Hayley said, wrapping her arms around Hillary’s waist.  
“Bye, sweetheart,” Hillary grinned down at her. “Boy, I am _so_ glad I’m coming home tomorrow. I can’t wait to get out of here and to be back at home with you girls.”  
Chelsea nodded and smiled. “I bet. We miss you so much. But wait. When is Dad going back to Arkansas?”  
“I'm not sure,” Hillary shrugged. “You’d have to ask him.”  
“He’s moving here, Chels,” Jessica announced. “To New Haven.”  
“Seriously?” Chelsea’s face lit up.  
Jessica nodded and smiled widely. “Yep.”  
“Are you _kidding_ me?” Scott scoffed, a look of anger and annoyance crossing his face.  
“Nope,” Jessica shook her head, giving Scott a smug smirk.  
Hillary reached for Scott’s hand. “We can talk about it later, sweetheart.”  
“No!” Scott exclaimed and shook his head. “This is some bullshit!”  
“Scott, his children and his grandchild live here,” Jessica simply explained. “He has a right to be close to them.”  
“Yeah, well its not just his children that he wants to be closer to,” Scott said with gritted teeth.  
“Oh, get over yourself!” Jessica rolled her eyes. “He hasn’t come to see her since he got here, not even once!”  
“Jessica, seriously. Stop it,” Hillary harshly said. “You’re acting like a teenager.”  
“ _I’m_ acting like a teenager?” Jessica exclaimed in disbelief. She shook her head. “I’m the only one acting like an adult here. If Bill wants to be closer to his children and grandchild then that should be _more_ than okay!”  
“Jess, I’m done.” Hillary firmly shook her head, disgusted with her oldest daughter's current attitude. “Go home.”  
“I’m done, too!” Jessica snapped. “It’s nice to know that my own mother can just stop loving me so easily! Have a nice life, I guess.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.  
“She is ridiculous sometimes.” Hillary rolled her eyes.  
“This whole situation is ridiculous!” Scott fumed.  
“Hey, don’t get upset,” Hillary soothed. “I want you, Scott. Not Bill.”  
“That’s not the point.” Scott shook his head.  
“Um, I’m going to call Dad to come pick us up,” Chelsea murmured awkwardly as she started digging through her purse for her phone.  
“Tell your Dad I said he can go screw himself!” Scott exclaimed.  
“Scott!” Hillary gasped.  
“Um,” Chelsea suddenly teared up and closed her purse. “I’m just going to go find Jess.” She quickly scooped up Hayley and ran out of the room.  
“Your kids are fucking ridiculous,” Scott fumed. “They act like spoiled children.”  
“I could say the same about you right now,” Hillary pointed out. “You shouldn’t feel threatened by Bill, Scott. Not at all. And you _definitely_ shouldn’t take your anger at Bill out on my children.”  
Scott harshly sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good at the whole stepdad thing.”  
“Well, lesson number one. Don’t upset my children just because you’re jealous,” Hillary said. “Bill is _still_ their father. You’re doing a great job of trying to be a part of their lives and they appreciate that, but, you’re not their father.”  
Scott frowned and angrily shook his head. “Well, excuse me for trying to have a relationship with them.”  
“It’s fine to want a relationship with them but you can’t just expect them to completely forget about Bill,” Hillary tried.  
“I don’t expect that but I get them anything they ask for, damn it!” Scott fumed.  
“You can’t just buy their love,” Hillary gently explained.  
“I bought yours!” Scott spat.  
“Okay, whoa!” Hillary gasped. “Take that back.”  
“And why should I?” Scott sneered.  
“Because we first met when we were broke law school students and I liked you then,” Hillary pointed out. “I don’t care about your money, Scott.”  
“That’s bullshit and we both know it!” Scott exclaimed. “You didn’t love me back in law school. And I’m not quite sure that you actually love me now. Which sucks because you are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”  
“I do love you! Of course I love you!” Hillary insisted. “I married you, didn’t I?”  
“That doesn’t mean shit!” Scott exclaimed.  
“It means everything!” Hillary argued. “I love you so much, Scott. I’m sorry that you can’t see that.”  
Scott sighed harshly. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m sorry I blew up. I didn’t mean any of that."  
“Yeah, you’ve been saying that a lot lately,” Hillary bit her lip and looked down.  
“ _Please_ don’t be mad at me,” Scott begged. “I’m sorry. I love you, baby. I’m sorry I lost my temper.”  
Hillary sighed. “You can’t just keep blowing up at me and then expect me to immediately forget about it.”  
“Okay, I’ll work on my temper, okay?” Scott sighed. “I’m so sorry, Hillary. I want us to be happy.”  
“I want that, too,” Hillary said quietly, nodding. If not for their sake, she at least wanted them to be happy for their daughter's sake.   
“I know we can be,” Scott insisted.  
Hillary gently nodded.  
“Can I hug you?” Scott tentatively asked.  
“You’re my husband. You don’t have to ask,” Hillary answered in a quiet voice.  
“Well I don’t want to upset you,” Scott explained.  
“I like hugs,” Hillary gave him a small smile. “You know that.” She put Cassandra in her bassinet as Scott softly smiled and went over to the side of the bed. He wrapped his arms around Hillary.  
“I’m sorry,” Scott apologized, kissing her cheek as Hillary returned his embrace and tightly squeezed him.   
“Me, too.” Hillary nodded.  
He softly pecked her lips. “I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Hillary quietly murmured with a forced smile. But as she was saying it out loud, she wasn’t sure whether it was quite true or not...

To Be Continued...  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you are all having a lovely weekend so far and that you enjoyed this week's update! It's a little late again because I fell asleep on the couch Friday night before I had a chance to update, oops lol. But hopefully this managed to be a distraction from everything going on in the world this week. 
> 
> I do have a long weekend coming up next weekend in my country so hopefully I can squeeze some writing and posting in since it will most likely be a quieter Thanksgiving weekend this year for obvious reasons. I have like half of a fluffy-ish oneshot that takes place in the From This Moment On universe/timeline written so hopefully I can finish and post that soon so that we can all enjoy Billary when they were in happier times while we are still getting to their eventual reconciliation in this story lol. 
> 
> And stay tuned because shit is about to hit the fan over the next few chapters, even moreso than it already has ;)


	23. Daughters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning?? Say what?? LOL. I've been wanting to get back into the habit of mid week updates for the past few weeks now but it never worked out until tonight. I can't promise that this will become a regular occurrence again because I'm usually half-asleep and heading to bed by this point on a weeknight lol but I will try my best to update during the week going forward when/if I can :) Enjoy!

“Will you go talk to someone and see if I can get out of here some time today?” Hillary asked Scott a few minutes later.    
Scott sighed. “They said you’re being discharged tomorrow morning.”    
“Well, can you just ask if there’s any way I can go home tonight?” Hillary tried. “I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” She just wanted to go home, to her own house and her own bed, and to be with her daughters.    
Scott nodded. “I’ll try.”    
Hillary slightly nodded and scooped up Cassandra. “Thank you, honey.”   
Scott nodded and left the room as Hillary held Cassandra close to her chest.    
“Hi,” Hillary softly said, smiling down at her daughter. She gently rocked Cassandra and started softly humming just as her cell phone rang. She quickly grabbed it from the nightstand and answered it before the ringing could disturb Cassandra who was starting to drift off to sleep.    
“Hello?”   
“Hey, Mom.” Chelsea sighed on the other end of the phone. “Jess is  _ really _ upset, Mom.”    
“Well, let me talk to her,” Hillary tried, with a sad sigh of her own.    
“I don’t know if she wants to talk to you,” Chelsea replied. “She’s in bed crying right now.”   
“Well, I guess let her sulk then.” Hillary rolled her eyes to herself, frustrated with the entire situation between her and Jessica. “She’ll feel better in a few hours.”   
“Why are you being so mean to her, Mom?” Chelsea asked, sounding hurt.    
Hillary harshly sighed. “Because she’s being incredibly immature right now, Chels.”    
She heard Chelsea start to cry on the other end.    
“Chelsea.” Hillary sighed, feeling guilty.    
“Jessica’s right,” Chelsea suddenly said. “You know what? Go be with Cassandra and Scott. We don’t need you.”    
“Chelsea!” Hillary exclaimed.    
“No, I’m done,” Chelsea suddenly said. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”    
“Chelsea!” Hillary begged but it was too late. She heard a click on the other end of the line.    
Hillary harshly sighed, and closed her eyes as she dropped her phone back on the nightstand, feelings of guilt overwhelming her. She was snapped back to the present when Cassandra woke up and started loudly crying.    
“Shhh,” Hillary tried soothing her just as Scott walked back in the room.   
“What did they say?” Hillary asked him in a hopeful tone as she gently rocked Cassandra.    
“They agreed to discharge you in a little while,” Scott answered. He noticed the look on Hillary’s face and frowned. “What’s wrong?”   
Hillary sadly sighed. “Chelsea and Jessica are mad at me.”   
“Well,” Scott shrugged. “They’ll get over it.”   
Hillary just nodded. “I need to go see them when I get out of here.”    
“And see Bill?” Scott questioned, a hint of anger to his voice.    
“I want to see my children, Scott,” Hillary retorted. She sadly shook her head. “They think I don’t love them anymore. I need to go and make things right.”   
“Well, I’ll drive you over there later,” Scott assured her.    
“Thank you,” Hillary said softly.    
Scott nodded before he leaned down and kissed the top of Hillary’s head. “She is absolutely gorgeous,” he commented, staring down at Cassandra.   
Hillary softly smiled and nodded in agreement. “She is.”    
“I have the most beautiful family.” Scott proudly smiled.    
Hillary smiled at him in return and lightly pecked his lips. “Ugh, I want to get out of here.”    
“Just a little while longer, baby,” Scott assured her.    
Hillary nodded as Cassandra started crying again.    
“Aww, you want to go home too, don’t you, baby girl,” Hillary cooed, gently rocking the baby.    
“She looks like her daddy,” Hillary smiled over at Scott as Cassandra slowly started to calm down.    
“Really?” Scott asked. “I don’t think so.”   
“I know so,” Hillary affirmed.    
“But she’s blonde.” Scott chuckled.    
“So? She has your eyes. And your nose,” Hillary pointed out.    
Scott softly smiled. “Are you going to take her to meet everyone at your office?”    
Hillary shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. Even though I worked there for almost a year before my maternity leave, I didn’t really get to know my co-workers or anything. They all think I’m a bitch probably. I think they’re glad I’ll be gone for six months.”    
“Aww, I don’t believe that,” Scott said. “They’ll miss you.”   
“I don’t think so,” Hillary shook her head. “I loved the work I was doing but I didn’t really fit in at that firm. I need to find a new job after maternity leave.”    
“Or you can always quit and be a stay at home mom,” Scott suggested.    
“Quit?” Hillary rose her right eyebrow, knowing what Scott was getting at.   
“Sure,” Scott nodded. “I’ve told you before, you don’t need to work. I make plenty of money.”   
Hillary nervously bit her lip. “I don’t know. I  _ like _ working. I love being a lawyer. You know that.”   
“Well,” Scott shrugged. “See how you like being off for the next six months and then we can re-evaluate.”    
Hillary nodded. “I  _ am _ looking forward to spending more time with the kids and Sophia.”    
Scott nodded as Cassandra happily cooed.    
“That includes you now, baby girl,” Hillary grinned down at her daughter.    
Scott smiled and climbed into the bed with Hillary and Cassandra. He cuddled up to Hillary.    
“How are you feeling?” He asked Hillary.   
Hillary shrugged. “Fine. I’m just ready to get out of here.”   
“I know,” Scott nodded and sighed. “I want us all home, too.”   
Hillary nodded and loudly yawned.    
“Tired?” Scott asked her.    
Hillary nodded and lightly chuckled. “Yeah.”   
“Well,” Scott reached out for Cassandra. “How about you take a nap and then by the time you wake up, maybe you can get out of here?”   
Hillary nodded and passed Cassandra over to her husband. “That sounds amazing.”    
  


* * * * *

Hillary stirred a few hours later after she felt Scott gently shaking her awake.    
“Hmmm?” She sleepily mumbled.    
“Ready to go home?” Scott asked with a smile as he brushed a stray lock of blonde hair out of Hillary’s face.    
Hillary smiled in relief as she opened her eyes and nodded.   
“Come on then.” Scott grinned as he passed her an outfit to change into.    
The nurse brought a wheelchair to the room as Hillary slowly got out of bed and started getting dressed.    
“I’m going to bring the car around,” Scott said.    
Hillary nodded as she got dressed as quickly as her residual pain would allow her to.    
“Are you ready to go home, baby girl?” Hillary cooed, scooping up Cassandra from her bassinet. She chuckled as Cassandra excitedly cooed in return. “Yeah, I think you are.”    
  


When Scott came back a few minutes later, both Hillary and Cassandra were ready and eager to go home. Scott and Hillary said their thank you’s and goodbyes to the hospital staff, especially the nurses, before Scott brought Hillary and Cassandra out to the car.    
After she managed to slowly lift herself up and out of the wheelchair, Hillary got Cassandra buckled into her car seat and climbed into the back seat as Scott put his and Hillary’s bags into the trunk.    
“You’re sitting back there?” Scott raised his eyebrows in confusion when he realized Hillary had gotten into the backseat rather than the front passenger seat.    
Hillary nodded. “I always sit with them in the back on the way home from the hospital.” She shrugged.   
“Okay,” Scott chuckled. “Suit yourself.” He shrugged and got in the driver's seat. “We need gas on the way home.”   
Hillary nodded and chuckled. “I hate this car. We _always_ need gas.”   
“Well, you’re the one who wanted a Range Rover, baby,” Scott laughed and started driving.    
Hillary chuckled. “You’re right but now I think I want a smaller car. Buy me one please,” she teased.   
“If that’s what you want,” Scott shrugged and laughed.    
“It is,” Hillary nodded. “Maybe a Prius?”    
Scott nodded. “Anything you want, baby. We can go car shopping next weekend.”   
“Thank you.” Hillary softly smiled before she looked down at Cassandra who was perfectly content.    
“We should just give this car to Jessica when we buy a new one,” Scott suggested.    
Hillary’s head snapped up and she looked at Scott. “Jess has a car.”    
“Well, not a very good one,” Scott shrugged, looking back at Hillary in the rear view mirror as he was stopped at a red light.    
“Well, it’s good enough for her current needs,” Hillary shrugged.   
“Aww, honey. Let her have this car. It’s way nicer than her current one,” Scott chuckled.    
Hillary frowned and looked down. “Why should I?”   
“Because you and Jess are both just being  _ very _ stubborn right now,” Scott pointed out. “You two are going to make up eventually. Trust me.”   
Hillary sadly sighed and nodded. “I know. You’re right. Can you take me to her place first?”    
“You don’t want to go home and rest?” Scott checked, his brow furrowed in confusion and worry.    
“No,” Hillary shook her head, eager to try to mend fences with her daughters.    
Scott nodded. “I’ll drop you off after I get gas.”   
Hillary nodded as Scott pulled into the closest gas station and drove up to a gas pump.    
“Hey, Scott?” Hillary said. “I’m craving something salty. Can you get me a bag of salt and vinegar chips, too?”    
“Still having pregnancy cravings, I see?” Scott smirked.    
“Shut up,” Hillary teased, laughing and smirking in return.    
Scott chuckled. “One bag of salt and vinegar chips, coming right up.”   
  


* * * * *

After Scott had gotten gas and gotten Hillary her bag of chips as requested, he drove over to Jessica and Bill’s townhouse.    
“I’ll wait here,” Scott said as he pulled into the driveway, behind Jessica’s car.   
“Thanks.” Hillary nodded as she started getting out of the car. “I won’t be long. Watch Cassandra.”    
Scott nodded and watched as Hillary walked up to Jessica’s front door and rang the doorbell.    
  
“Oh, hey.” Bill answered the door a moment later, shocked to see Hillary standing out on the front doorstep.    
“Hey,” Hillary said softly. She nervously cleared her throat. “Is Jess here?”   
“Um, yeah,” Bill nervously nodded. “I don’t know if she wants to see you right now though.”    
Hillary walked past him and into the foyer of the house.    
“Hill, she’s _ really _ distraught right now,” Bill harshly sighed. “I’ve never seen her so upset over an argument with you before.”    
Hillary ignored Bill and walked straight upstairs to Jessica's bedroom.    
She gently knocked on the door. “Jess?” She poked her head inside. Jessica’s bedroom was completely dark except for the faint glow of yellow light coming from the lamp on Jessica’s nightstand. Jessica was in bed, quietly crying with the covers over her head.    
“Oh, Jessica.” Hillary frowned and sadly sighed as she flicked the overhead light on.    
Jessica lifted her head out from underneath the covers and looked over at Hillary, wincing from the sudden burst of light. “I don’t want to talk to you right now,” She said to Hillary with an icy stare.   
“Jessica, please,” Hillary sighed as she walked across the room and sat on the edge of Jessica’s bed.    
Jessica shook her head and rolled over, turning away from Hillary. “Bill shouldn’t have let you in.”    
“Jessie, talk to me,” Hillary tried, placing a reassuring hand on Jessica’s shoulder.    
“Why do you even want to talk to me right now?” Jessica asked in confusion, rolling back over and facing Hillary.    
“Because I love you, honey,” Hillary softly answered, laying down beside Jessica. “I love you  _ so _ much, Jessica. How could you  _ not _ know that by now?”   
“Well,” Jessica shrugged. “How would I know? It hasn’t felt like it lately.”   
“Oh, Jessie.” Hillary softly stared down at her oldest daughter.    
“I’m pretty sure you hate me right now,” Jessica murmured.    
“I definitely don’t hate you,” Hillary assured her daughter. “I love you so  _ so _ much. And I’m really sorry that we’re fighting.”   
“Mom,” Jessica harshly sighed. “You said you didn’t care if you saw me anymore.”   
“Because Bill’s moving in with you!” Hillary argued.    
“Because he has nobody and I miss him!” Jessica retorted in return.   
“Well, don’t try to force me to fall in love with him again.” Hillary shook her head.    
“Fine,” Jessica sadly sighed. “I wasn’t trying to do that anyways,” she added quietly.    
“Yes, you were,” Hillary retorted.    
“I wasn’t,” Jessica denied. She shook her head as she teared up again.    
“Don’t cry.” Hillary frowned and soothingly rubbed Jessica’s left shoulder.   
“I just miss the old you,” Jessica explained with a shaky sigh.    
“Hey,” Hillary said, taken aback. “I’m still me. I’m still your mom. I’m still the same person I’ve always been.”   
“But you’re not!” Jessica tearfully argued.    
“I am, Jessie,” Hillary insisted, staring at Jessica softly.    
Jessica shook her head. “You’re not! You’re, you’re...plastic.”   
Hillary teared up and looked taken aback. “I am not, Jessica.”    
“You are!” Jessica argued. “You’re practically a millionaire now, Mom.”   
“So?” Hillary shrugged. “That doesn’t mean that I’ve changed.”    
“Yes, it does.” Jessica firmly nodded. “You have a perfect life and you live in a fucking palace. Your hair is perfect and your nails are perfectly manicured…”   
Hillary cut her off. “Jessica, I’m still me! I’m still Hillary Rodham. Scott expects me to look and act a certain way though. I can’t help that.” She shrugged.    
“And since when do  _ you  _ of all people let someone else dictate how you look and act?” Jessica retorted.    
Hillary sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”   
“No,” Jessica raised her right eyebrow. “I think it's  _ exactly _ what you meant. You just don’t want to admit it.” She harshly sighed and shook her head. “Scott wasn’t a good idea, Mom.”   
“Says the girl who was all over me dating him,” Hillary pointed out.    
“I just wanted you to have some fun blowing off steam, Mom!” Jessica argued. “He was just supposed to be your rebound. But now you’re pretending to be happy and I can tell that you’re not.” She frowned.    
Hillary raised her eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t know why you think I’m not happy, Jessica. I have an amazing family and a great life. Stop trying to convince me that I’m unhappy.”    
“Fine, mom.” Jessica harshly sighed and shook her head in defeat. “I need to get some sleep. I have class  _ and _ work tomorrow. Please leave me alone.”   
“Jessica, please don’t do this,” Hillary begged. “I came over here so we could make up.”   
“Well,” Jessica shrugged. “That’s not happening today.”   
Hillary sadly sighed. “Jessica, just a few days ago things were great between us. I mean you’re the only reason I was able to get through Cassandra’s delivery, truth be told.”   
“Just go be with Cassandra and Scott,” Jessica sadly shook her head. “I don’t need you.”   
“Jess—”   
“And for the record,” Jessica cut her mother off. “I had no idea what to do for you in that stupid delivery room. Bill told me what to do and he _made_ me go in there with you.”   
Hillary closed her eyes at the mention of Bill’s name and the admission Jessica had just made. She sighed in an effort to stave off the tears she knew were coming. “That was nice of him but I’d rather not talk about Bill right now.”   
“Because you know that if you talk about him or if he’s around you, that you’re going to want to be with him,” Jessica pointed out in a matter of fact manner.    
“Yes, Jessica!” Hillary gave in. “Fine. You caught me. I can’t have any kind of friendly relationship with Bill because I’ll always want more, okay?” She suddenly teared up.    
Jessica suddenly sat up in bed and gave her mom a concerned look.    
“I’m fine.” Hillary shook her head to shake off her tears and stop them from falling. “I should go but I’ll call you later.” She sat up and kissed Jessica’s cheek.    
“I love you, mom,” Jessica suddenly said in a quiet voice, staring at her mother softly.    
“I love you, too, Kitty Cat.” Hillary smiled weakly at the young girl. She frowned when she noticed Jessica had teared up again. “What is it?” She reached over and started gently stroking Jessica’s hair.    
“Nothing,” Jessica said softly, shaking her head.    
“Honey, talk to me,” Hillary encouraged gently.    
Jessica shook her head again. “I’ll see you later, I guess.”   
“Jess, honey. I can tell something’s on your mind,” Hillary said softly.    
“I just miss how things used to be,” Jessica admitted quietly with a sniffle. “Before you met Scott. When you and Bill were still together. When I was a kid.” She shrugged.    
“I understand, baby,” Hillary sadly nodded and bit her lip. “I know that you love Bill and that he’s a great dad. He’s always been _so_ good to you.”    
Jessica nodded in agreement. “He’s my dad,” she said quietly.    
“I know.” Hillary nodded.    
“And I want him to be a part of Sophia’s life,” Jessica explained. “He can’t be a grandpa if he’s halfway across the country.”    
“Okay, baby.” Hillary nodded understandingly, seeing and understanding Jessica’s point of view and not wanting to argue with her daughter any more.    
Jessica nodded, glad her mother was coming around to Bill moving in with her.    
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hillary said. “Get some sleep.”    
Jessica nodded and lightly pecked Hillary’s cheek.    
Hillary softly smiled. She waited for Jessica to lay back down before she left the room, turning the lights off and closing Jessica’s bedroom door behind her on her way out. She noticed Bill playing with Sophia in the guest room across the hallway.    
“Hey,” she said quietly, as she crossed the hallway and stood in the doorway to Bill’s room.    
“Hi,” Bill smiled softly at her.    
Hillary grinned as Sophia excitedly crawled across the room and over to Hillary.    
“Hi, sweetheart,” Hillary softly smiled as she scooped her granddaughter up and squeezed her.    
“Where’s Scott?” Bill asked, awkwardly clearing his throat.    
“Waiting in the car,” Hillary explained.    
Bill nodded as he got up from where he had been sitting on the floor, in order to give Hillary a moment alone with Sophia.    
“It’s okay. I should go,” Hillary said, passing Sophia over to him.    
Bill nodded again. “Yeah, I should probably start on dinner. Did Jess go to bed already?”    
Hillary nodded. “She said she has a busy day tomorrow.”   
Bill nodded understandingly. “Um, Chelsea showed me pictures. Cassandra’s gorgeous.”    
“Thank you,” Hillary said softly. “So I guess I’ll see you around, Bill.”    
“See you around.” Bill nodded in agreement before h e followed Hillary downstairs so that he could start on preparing dinner.    
Chelsea and Hayley were colouring together at the dining room table. Both girls looked up from the colouring book that Hayley was scribbling in, after seeing their parents come downstairs.    
While Bill put Sophia in her high chair, Chelsea immediately got up from her seat and ran into Hillary’s arms.    
“I’m so sorry, Mama!”    
“Aww, Chelsea,” Hillary squeezed her daughter and reassuringly rubbed her back. “It’s okay. I know this has been a big adjustment for everyone.”    
Chelsea nodded, pulling away from her mother’s embrace. “I love you.”    
Hillary softly smiled at her middle daughter, “I love you, too.”    
Things still weren’t perfect between her and her daughters but Hillary was glad that she had made some progress in repairing the relationships.    
“Mama and Daddy!” Hayley excitedly squealed, not used to seeing her parents in the same room together.    
Hillary softly smiled at her. “Hi, baby girl. Do you want to come home tonight with Mama and your new baby sister?”   
“Yes, please,” Hayley sweetly nodded.    
“Okay,” Hillary tenderly smiled. “How about you Chels?”    
“Um, I think I’ll stay here tonight with Dad and Jess if that’s okay,” Chelsea said, a torn expression on her face.    
Hillary nodded, understanding that Chelsea would want to spend time with her Dad and her older sister. “Sure.”    
Chelsea nodded. “Thanks.”    
“Bye, Daddy,” Hayley sweetly said as Chelsea helped Hillary gather up Hayley’s things.    
“Bye, sweetheart,” Bill smiled, scooping Hayley up and squeezing her. “I love you,” he said, kissing her cheek.    
  


Hillary and Hayley eventually said their final goodbyes to Bill and Chelsea before she grabbed Hayley and carried her out to the car.    
“That sure did take a while,” Scott said in an annoyed tone of voice as Hillary buckled Hayley into her car seat.    
“Sorry,” Hillary apologized. “Jessica’s still a little mad, I think.”   
“So this was a waste of time.” Scott rolled his eyes and harshly sighed.    
“I’m sorry,” Hillary apologized again. “Let’s go home.” 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say about this chapter and should probably be heading to bed now lol but I will say that I will definitely be updating over the weekend some time so keep an eye out for that. BIG things are happening over the next two chapters so stay tuned! 
> 
> And hope you enjoyed this little early update! Have a good day/night and a great rest of your week's everyone! :) 
> 
> Until next time.


	24. Confrontation Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: possible triggering content ahead.

Hillary breathed a huge sigh of relief upon walking in the front door, happy to finally be home after almost three whole days in the hospital.  
“This is your home, Cassandra!” Hillary cooed. “I hope you love it just as much as we do. Let’s go see your room, sweetie.”   
Hillary started carrying Cassandra upstairs to the nursery, with Scott following closely behind with Hayley.   
“Mama, hold me and the baby,” Hayley said.   
“Of course. Just give me a minute, sweetie,” Hillary urged as they entered the nursery. “Come here, sweetie,” Hillary said to Hayley as she took a seat in the rocking chair with Cassandra.   
Hillary softly smiled down at her two youngest daughters as Hayley crawled up into her lap. “I love the both of you _so_ much.”   
“I love you, Mama,” Hayley cooed. She reached over and gently touched Cassandra’s face.   
“Hayley, you have to be very gentle with the baby, okay?” Hillary patiently explained.   
“But I love the baby.” Hayley looked up at her mom in confusion.   
“I know, honey. And I know you’re curious. You can touch her. Just be gentle, okay?” Hillary tried explaining.   
Hayley nodded. “Can I kiss her?”   
Hillary softly smiled. “Yes, of course you can kiss the baby.” She stared at the two girls tenderly as Hayley leaned over and softly kissed Cassandra on the cheek.   
“Can you say Cassandra, Hayley?” Hillary gently asked.   
Hayley shook her head. “No, Mama.”   
“You can try,” Hillary softly chuckled. “Go ahead, say Cassandra. You can do it.”   
“Cassie.”   
“Well, that was close enough, I guess.” Hillary laughed as Scott walked into the nursery.   
“Scott!” Hayley excitedly squealed.   
“Hey,” Hillary smiled over at him.   
“Hi, beautiful.” Scott softly smiled back at her.   
“These two are the beautiful ones,” Hillary retorted, staring down at her daughters.   
“Scott!” Hayley squealed again.   
“Hi, Hayley.” Scott grinned and picked her up. “Do you like your new baby sister?”   
Hayley nodded excitedly. “My baby.”   
“Hey, she’s my baby, too,” Scott chuckled.   
“Nooooo, my baby!” Hayley whined.   
Scott laughed.   
“She looks just like her sisters,” Hillary commented, looking at Cassandra.   
“See, I told you she looks like you,” Scott said.   
“She looks like you, too!” Hillary insisted.   
“Are you okay?” Scott suddenly asked her, double checking.   
“Yeah.” Hillary forced a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”   
“I was just checking, love.” Scott gently smiled and lightly pecked Hillary’s cheek.   
Hillary nodded. “I’m fine. In fact, I think I’ll take a bath if you don’t mind.”   
Scott nodded. “Sure. Do you want some company?”   
Hillary shook her head. “Can you just watch the girls?”   
Scott nodded as he put Hayley down and reached his arms out for Cassandra. “Of course.”   
“Thanks,” Hillary gratefully said as she passed the baby over. 

After she had run her bath a few minutes later and added bubbles, she let out another large sigh of relief as she got in the luxurious spa bathtub and relaxed; happy for a moment of peace and quiet and relieved to wash the hospital stench off of her body.   
She closed her eyes and lay her head back. Just as she was getting settled in, she heard Cassandra crying in the distance just as Scott poked his head into the bathroom.  
“I’m sorry to bother you, honey, but I don’t know why she’s crying.”   
“Well, did you check her diaper?” Hillary asked with a raised right eyebrow.   
Scott nodded. “It’s not that.”   
“Well, just hold her for a few minutes,” Hillary said. “If she’s hungry, I’ll feed her in a minute.”   
Scott nodded and gave Hillary his trademark confident smile. “You relax. I’ve got it. Don’t worry.”   
“I wasn’t worried,” Hillary chuckled.   
Scott nodded and walked away as Hillary started to relax again when Hayley suddenly walked into the bathroom. “I want you, Mama. No baby and no Scott.”   
Hillary tried to stifle a laugh as Scott ran into the bathroom after Hayley.   
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Scott apologized. “I’ve got her. Go back to enjoying your bath.”   
“Thanks,” Hillary chuckled as Scott scooped up Hayley and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.   
As Hillary continued relaxing in the bath, she quietly chuckled to herself as she heard Hayley giggling outside the door.   
“Mama.” Hayley started knocking on the bathroom door.   
“Hi, Hayley,” Hillary said, laughing.   
“Let’s go play, honey,” she heard Scott say and eventually their voices drifted away. 

Hayley grabbed one of her Barbies after Scott took her down the hallway to her bedroom.   
“Chelsea?” Hayley asked Scott.   
“Chelsea’s with your dad, sweetheart,” Scott gently explained.   
Hayley nodded. “I want my Daddy.”   
“Well, you’ll probably see him tomorrow,” Scott tried.   
“No!” Hayley suddenly loudly whined. “I want my Daddy now! Mama!”   
“No!” Scott firmly said. “Hayley, you need to calm down. Your Mama’s taking a bath right now.”   
“No!” Hayley suddenly teared up. “No Scott! And no baby! I want Daddy!”   
“Hayley, sweetie, calm down,” Scott sighed in frustration. “Don’t cry.”   
“No,” Hayley loudly cried, shaking her head.   
Scott groaned as he heard Cassandra start to cry again in the nursery. He ran next door to Cassandra’s room to check on her.   
  


Hillary sighed and slowly got up and out of the tub, after hearing all of the commotion. She put her black silk robe on and started gently drying her damp hair with a towel as she walked down the hallway to the nursery and scooped up Cassandra from her bassinet.   
“I had it under control!” Scott exclaimed, clenching his fists in frustration.   
“It’s okay, Scott,” Hillary assured him, holding Cassandra close to her.   
“I’ll take her,” Scott offered. “You need rest.”   
“I’m fine,” Hillary waved him off.   
“You sure?” Scott checked.   
Hillary nodded and sat down in the rocking chair. “She’s hungry anyways.”   
Scott sighed harshly. “Fine. But I wanted you to relax.”   
“I’m fine,” Hillary insisted as she undid her robe slightly and pushed the silky fabric away, letting Cassandra latch on to her breast.   
“I just wanted to do something nice for you!” Scott groaned, feeling guilty.   
Hillary chuckled. “Scott, it’s okay. I love you.”   
Scott softly smiled at her.   
“You know what you can do to help me?” Hillary started. “You can get an elevator put in this house. There’s too many stairs,” she joked before she started laughing to herself.   
Scott chuckled. “Um, no. I’m not doing that. You never said anything about an elevator when we were looking at houses. You loved this house exactly as it was when we bought it.”   
“Scott, it was just a joke,” Hillary chuckled. “I’m just teasing.”   
“Besides, the stairs keep your ass in great shape,” Scott continued, not hearing Hillary’s clarification about her remark being a joke. “So, we’re keeping them.” He smirked.   
“Scott!” Hillary gasped. She rolled her eyes. “Honey, my personal trainer keeps my ass in shape. Not the stairs.” She laughed to herself.   
“Well, we’re not getting an elevator,” Scott decided. “It would be a stupid waste of money.”   
“Scott, I was just joking,” Hillary repeated as she got up from the rocking chair and carried Cassandra into the master bedroom to finish feeding her in there.   
Hayley entered the bedroom just as Hillary was crawling into bed. “Mama, hold me!”   
“Give me a few minutes, baby girl, then I will,” Hillary assured her.   
“I’ll hold you, Hayls,” Scott said, scooping her up, happy that she had calmed down and seemed happier now. 

As soon as Hillary finished feeding Cassandra a few minutes later and had cleaned herself up, Hayley reached for Hillary.   
“Mama,” Hayley said, as Hillary passed Cassandra to Scott and grabbed Hayley in return, letting the three year old cuddle up to her in bed.   
“No, baby,” Hayley continued.   
Hillary frowned. “Don’t you like the baby, sweetheart?”   
Hayley shook her head. “No.”   
“But she’s your baby sister,” Hillary tried, remembering when Jessica had jealousy issues when Chelsea first came home from the hospital.   
“No,” Hayley shook her head again. “No baby.”   
“Well, she loves you,” Hillary said with an encouraging smile. She leaned down and kissed Hayley’s cheek. “Cassandra lives here now, baby girl. She’s a part of our family.”   
“No!” Hayley suddenly whined.   
“Yes,” Hillary nodded. “You’re her big sister.”   
Hayley huffed in return.   
“Hey, it’s going to be fun having Cassandra here,” Hillary assured Hayley, gently stroking her brown curls. “We can play with her and cuddle with her.”   
Hayley managed to smile a little. “Cuddle?”   
Hillary nodded. “You want to cuddle right now?”   
“Yes please,” Hayley sweetly nodded.   
Hillary nodded and looked at Scott. “Scott, you and Cassandra come here.” She scooted over in the bed to make room for Scott.   
“See, Hayley isn’t this nice?” Hillary asked as Scott cuddled up to her and she cuddled up to Hayley and grabbed Cassandra from Scott.   
Cassandra suddenly started crying as Hayley touched her cheek.   
“Aww, baby, no. Don’t cry,” Hayley said. “Hayley loves you, baby.”   
Hillary chuckled as Hayley suddenly lightly poked Cassandra.   
“Hayley, don’t poke her,” Hillary lightly chided.   
“I love the baby,” Hayley explained.   
“Then be gentle,” Hillary urged. “Don’t poke her.”   
Hayley nodded. “Daddy?” She suddenly asked.   
“Sweetie, I thought you wanted to spend time with Mama,” Hillary quietly said, rubbing Hayley’s back.   
“No!” Hayley suddenly furiously shook her head, her brown curls bouncing up and down. “No mama and no baby and no Scott!”   
Hillary frowned as her brow furrowed.   
“I’ll take her back to Jessica’s,” Scott suddenly offered.   
“No,” Hillary shook her head. “I want to spend time with her.”   
“Well,” Scott shrugged. “She obviously doesn’t want to spend time with us.”   
“She’s a toddler. She doesn’t know what she wants,” Hillary pointed out, running her hand through Hayley’s curls. “Here, take Cassandra,” she added, passing the baby over to Scott.   
Scott grabbed Cassandra and got her settled comfortably in his arms.   
“No baby!” Hayley whined. “Jessie and Daddy!”   
“See?” Scott shrugged. “She wants Jessica and Bill.”   
“Come to Mama, baby girl,” Hillary urged, ignoring Scott’s comment.   
Hayley wrapped her arms around Hillary's waist and clung to her as Hillary squeezed her in return.   
“She’s just having a hard time adjusting,” Hillary sadly sighed.   
Scott sighed and nodded as he gently rocked Cassandra.   
“I love you, Hayls,” Hillary said, leaning down to kiss the top of Hayley’s head.   
“No love Mama.” Hayley shook her head.   
“Aww, you're hurting Mama’s feelings, baby girl,” Hillary frowned.   
“No baby and no Scott and no Mama.” Hayley shook her head again and huffed. “I want Daddy!”   
Hillary sadly sighed again. “Sweetie, come on. Get to know your new baby sister with us.”   
“No baby!” Hayley teared up.   
“Sweetheart, you’ve been so excited about the baby,” Hillary patiently pointed out.   
“But I touched the baby and the baby cried!” Hayley huffed.   
Hillary cracked a smile and lightly chuckled. “Honey, the baby loves you. You can touch her, you just have to be gentle with her. She’s used to being in Mommy’s tummy.”   
Hayley nodded, somewhat understanding. “Oh, okay. Tummy.” She touched Hillary’s still slightly protruding belly.   
Hillary chuckled.   
“Baby,” Hayley said, peering over at her baby sister who was still in Scott’s arms.   
Hillary nodded, grabbing Cassandra from Scott.   
Hayley smiled and leaned down. She gently kissed Cassandra’s cheek.   
“That’s more like it,” Hillary softly smiled.   
“I love baby,” Hayley said.   
“That’s right.” Hillary nodded.   
Scott grinned as Hayley giggled. “She’s so cute.”   
Hillary nodded and smiled at Scott in return. “They both are. We’re so blessed.” She leaned over and lightly pecked Scott’s lips. “Hey, honey? Do you mind making some dinner? I’m _starving_.”   
“Sure,” Scott nodded, realizing it was already dinner time. “What would you like?”   
“Hayley hungry, Scott!” Hayley suddenly piped in with a smile.   
Scott chuckled. “What do you want to eat, sweetheart?”   
“Mac and cheese!” Hayley decided without hesitation.   
“Yeah, I’ll have that, too,” Hillary agreed, softly chuckling at her daughter.   
“Sure you don’t want a salad, Love?” Scott checked with a raised left eyebrow.   
“Oh.” Hillary frowned, her brow furrowing, and she shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I’ll just have a salad then.”   
“Okay,” Scott nodded. “Come downstairs in a few minutes and it’ll be ready.”   
“I’m more in the mood for macaroni and cheese,” Hillary affirmed, still frowning.   
“Honey, you already had that bag of chips earlier. You need to watch what you eat,” Scott pointed out. “I’m going to make us appointments with a dietician next week, I think. We both need to start eating healthier."   
“And why is that?” Hillary asked her husband, with her right eyebrow cocked in suspicion. She grabbed her glasses off of the nightstand and put them on.   
“Well, don’t you want to lose the baby weight?” Scott nonchalantly asked her.   
“It usually just falls right off if I watch my portions and start exercising again.” Hillary shrugged. “I don’t need to go on a crazy crash diet or anything. I can eat what I want in moderation.”   
“Well, I still think you should have a salad for dinner tonight,” Scott shrugged. “You’ve been eating a lot of junk food lately. I’m only looking out for you, honey.”   
“And I want mac and cheese,” Hillary retorted through gritted teeth.   
Scott sighed and raised his arms up in frustration. “Fine. Suit yourself.”   
  


* * * * * 

Scott was taking his homemade macaroni and cheese out of the oven when Hillary came downstairs with Hayley and Cassandra a while later.   
“Do you like your home, Cassandra?” Hillary cooed, when it looked like Cassandra was looking around the room.   
“Mama, we go home?” Hayley asked, as Hillary helped her get settled in her booster seat at the kitchen table.   
“This is home, Hayls,” Hillary chuckled.   
“Oh,” Hayley nodded and giggled.   
Hillary chuckled and lightly kissed Hayley’s cheek before taking her own seat at the kitchen table.   
“I’m really hungry,” She commented as Scott brought everyone’s plates over to the kitchen table. She rolled her eyes when Scott didn’t say anything in return, and just silently placed Hillary’s plate in front of her.   
“What’s with the attitude?” Scott suddenly asked, taking a seat at the table across from her.   
“Well, it just bothers me when my husband thinks I’m fat,” Hillary bitterly pointed out.   
“I didn’t say that,” Scott argued.   
“And you didn’t have to,” Hillary said. “You basically implied it though. Just leave me alone. I’ll start working out again as soon as the doctor clears me to start exercising again.”   
“I was just saying, Hill.” Scott harshly sighed as he picked up his fork.   
“Well I don’t need you to say anything!” Hillary sharply retorted.   
“And I’m going to have to listen to you bitch about the baby weight later and not being able to lose it,” Scott argued.   
“Scott, I didn’t even gain that much weight, weight,” Hillary pointed out. “I was all baby.”   
“Okay, well you’re the one who made me pay for that ridiculously expensive personal trainer because you were worried about your weight!” Scott argued.   
“I worry about my weight because _you’re_ so worried about it!” Hillary retorted.   
“Okay,” Scott shrugged and raised his hands up defensively. “I see. Blame it on me just like everything else is somehow always _my_ fault.”   
“When do I ever blame you for anything?” Hillary asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.   
“You blame me for _everything_ !” Scott argued.   
“That is ridiculous,” Hillary rolled her eyes causing Scott to roll his eyes in return.   
“I never blame you for anything,” Hillary insisted. “In fact, I go out of _my_ way to make sure _you’re_ happy!”   
“Oh, just shut up, Hillary.” Scott shook his head in frustration.   
“No, you shut up!” Hillary loudly exclaimed in return.   
Scott scoffed.   
“Why are you being such a jerk all of a sudden?” Hillary asked, shaking her head.   
“I don’t know, Hillary!” Scott yelled. “Maybe because every fucking thing I do is wrong to you!”   
“That’s not true!” Hillary argued.   
“How is it not true?” Scott asked. “Name one thing that you _actually_ like about me.”   
“Are you serious right now?” Hillary scoffed.   
“Yes!”   
Hillary sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m sick of you doing this every time we have an argument, Scott. I love you. You know that!”   
“Fine!” Scott held his hands up defensively again. “I love you, too!”   
Hillary sighed as Hayley burst into tears from the fighting and loud arguing.   
Hillary sighed and passed Cassandra to Scott. She scooped up Hayley and left the room. 

“Shhh,” Hillary tried soothing Hayley as she carried Hayley into the main floor bathroom.   
“Mama’s mad?” Hayley asked, looking into Hillary’s eyes.   
“Yes, honey.” Hillary nodded.   
“”Mama’s mad at Hayley?” Hayley tearfully asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.   
“No, honey,” Hillary shook her head. “Mama loves Hayley so much!” Hillary forced a smile, and tightly squeezed her daughter.   
“Hillary, open the door!” Scott demanded as he loudly started pounding on it.   
“No Scott!” Hayley yelled. “Mama’s mad!”   
Hillary heard Scott harshly sigh on the other side of the door. “Hillary, honey. Please,” he begged.   
“No. Leave me alone, please,” Hillary requested, just wanting a minute or two to collect herself and collect her thoughts.   
“We need to talk about this, Hillary,” Scott said. “I’m sorry. I’m sick of fighting with you.”   
“Me, too,” Hillary sadly sighed. “I’m sick of you insisting I don’t love you. I wouldn’t still be here right now if I didn’t care about you.”   
“Okay, I know,” Scott gave in. He sighed again. “I won’t say that anymore.”   
“Yeah, well, we’ve been here before,” Hillary pointed out, still not ready to open the door.   
“Damn it, Hillary!” Scott exclaimed. “I don’t know what’s going on with us!”   
“I know exactly what’s going on. You’re being a jerk!” Hillary yelled through the door.   
“Yeah, because I’ll never be good enough for you because I’m not Bill Clinton!” Scott argued.   
“Fuck you!” Hillary seethed through gritted teeth.   
“Right. I’m sorry I make you _so_ unhappy!” Scott yelled before Hillary heard him walking away.   
Hayley stared at Hillary as Hillary suddenly started sobbing and sat down on the edge of the bathtub to prevent her legs from buckling underneath her.   
“I love you, mama.” Hayley sweetly wrapped her arms around Hillary’s neck, as she realized her mom was upset.   
Hillary gently rubbed Hayley’s back as she attempted to compose herself but trying to pull herself together just caused her to start sobbing harder.   
“Oh no, Mama. It’s okay,” Hayley soothed. “Mama, no cry.”   
“I’m sorry, Hayley,” Hillary whispered, closing her eyes, feeling guilt wash over her. “You shouldn’t be seeing me like this.” She placed a gentle kiss on the top of Hayley’s head. “I love you, baby girl. Now let’s go find Cassandra.”   
Hayley sweetly nodded as Hillary managed to compose herself before she carried Hayley upstairs to Cassandra’s nursery.   
Scott was sitting in the rocking chair, holding the baby.   
“Baby!” Hayley squealed.   
“Go see her,” Hillary said, putting Hayley down. She watched as Hayley ran over to Scott and Cassandra.   
“Scott, mean,” Hayley said, putting her hands on her hips and staring squarely at her stepfather.   
“I am not!” Scott said, firmly.   
“Hayley, stop it.” Hillary quietly sighed.   
Hayley shook her head. “Mama’s sad because you’re mean.”   
“Okay,” Scott harshly sighed and stood up from the rocking chair. “That’s it. I’m going into the office for a bit.”   
“I thought you were taking two weeks off,” Hillary pointed out, biting her lip nervously.   
“I was planning to but I need some air.” Scott shrugged. “You don’t even _want_ me here right now.”   
“Scott,” Hillary nervously said. “I can’t handle both of them entirely by myself.”   
“Yes, you can,” Scott brusquely said before he passed Cassandra to Hillary and brushed past her, exiting the nursery.   
“Ugh!” Hillary groaned and went after him after putting Cassandra down in her bassinet. She found Scott in the hallway, about to enter his home office.   
“Scott, why don’t you stop making assumptions about my feelings and let me speak for myself?”   
Hillary, let’s face it,” Scott harshly sighed. “You’re never going to be happy with me. Everybody knows that.”   
“You are such an asshole sometimes!” Hillary argued. “You’re making up problems in your head that just aren’t there!”   
“If I’m such an asshole then why did you marry me?” Scott stared at her incredulously. “Why did you have a baby with me? Why did we build a life together? Huh?”   
“Because I wanted to be with you!” Hillary argued. “You’re the one inventing problems that don’t exist.”   
“Oh that’s bullshit and every fucking person on planet earth knows it!” Scott angrily yelled.   
“If you thought that then why did you ask me to marry you?” Hillary angrily retorted.   
“Because I love you!” Scott insisted. “I had wanted you for _so_ long and now that I finally have you, you hate me!”   
“That’s all in your head, Scott!” Hillary argued.   
“Then maybe fucking show me that you love me every once in a while!” Scott yelled.   
“I show it every fucking day!” Hillary screamed. She teared up. “Do you even realize how much I changed for you?”   
“Well, I can’t tell if you changed for _me_ or for the money,” Scott bitterly said.   
“I don’t want your stupid money!” Hillary insisted. “I wouldn’t care if you didn’t have shit! I honestly don’t care about your money, Scott.”   
“Fine. Then don’t ask me to buy you anything else ever again.” Scott shrugged.   
“I won’t!” Hillary yelled.   
“And I don’t want to hear another fucking word about Bill Clinton!” Scott yelled in return.   
“ _You’re_ the one who brings him up!” Hillary angrily pointed out. “I hardly ever think about Bill anymore. And I sure as hell don’t talk about him because I know it's sure to piss you off!”   
“But you want him!” Scott insisted. “I _know_ you do!”   
“I want you, dumbass!” Hillary argued. “Why can’t you get that through that thick fucking skull of yours? I left Bill first. I _left_ him, okay? And he left me! I’m with you now!”   
“And yet I still see the look on your face any time someone mentions his name,” Scott pointed out.   
“Because we built a whole life together!” Hillary argued. “If you and I divorced after almost twenty years and three kids, I would probably get a little nostalgic sometimes.”   
“I don’t think it’s just fucking nostalgia, Hill.” Scott glared at her.   
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.” Hillary shrugged.   
“Don’t fucking patronize me, Hillary!” Scott yelled.   
“Well don’t scream at me!” Hillary yelled in return, lightly shoving Scott.   
At the light shove, Scott’s eyes widened in shock and anger and he roughly grabbed Hillary’s wrists, squeezing them tightly. “I am still your _husband,_ Hillary. You need to fucking _respect_ me.”   
“And I’m still your wife!” Hillary yelled, quickly yanking her wrists out of Scott’s tight grasp.   
“Well, I’ve given you and your kids every fucking thing you guys could ever need and _you_ still treat me like shit!” Scott argued.   
“Oh, I do not!” Hillary retorted.   
“Jesus,” Scott shook his head. “What is happening to us right now?”   
“You’re going crazy!” Hillary yelled.   
“Scott sighed and grabbed Hillary’s hands. He squeezed them. “I’m sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?”   
Yes,” Hillary nodded, pulling her hands away, not wanting him to touch her. “You did.”   
“I’m sorry.” Scott closed his eyes as the guilt washed over him. “That wasn’t like me. You know that. I’m so sorry.”   
Hillary shook her head and teared up. “Why don’t you just go into the office like you said you were?”   
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Scott said, the realization of what he did to his wife sinking in. “God, I’m _so_ sorry, Hillary.”   
“Just forget it.” Hillary shook her head and walked away, back down the hallway to Cassandra’s nursery.   
Cassandra was sleeping soundly in her bassinet while Hayley was sitting in the rocking chair, waiting for Hillary.   
“Hi, baby girl.” Hillary forced a smile, feeling horrible that Hayley had heard her and Scott’s loud fighting and swearing at each other.   
Hayley looked up at her mother but she didn’t say anything.   
Hillary sighed and scooped up Hayley. She felt the toddler’s arms gently wrap around her neck.   
“Daddy?” Hayley asked, clinging tightly to Hillary.   
Hillary kissed the top of Hayley’s head and sighed again.   
“Daddy?”   
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Hillary frowned and gave Hayley a sad look. “Daddy isn’t here but we can try calling him?”   
Hayley eagerly nodded.   
Hillary nodded and grabbed the cordless phone out of its cradle. She dialed while walking back over to the rocking chair. She sat down and got Hayley settled comfortably on her lap while she waited for Bill to pick up. 

“Hello?” Bill answered after a few rings.   
“Hey.” Hillary harshly sighed. “It’s me. Hayley is really upset right now. Do you have a few minutes to talk to her?”   
“Of course,” Bill said, his tone laced with concern. “Put her on.”   
“Alright, here she is,” Hillary said before she put the phone on speaker phone.   
“Daddy?”   
Hey, Princess,” Bill said softly. “What’s the matter?”   
“Daddy, Scott is mean!” Hayley cried. “Scott hurt Mama!”   
Hillary’s eyes widened in surprise and she closed them as the guilt washed over her that Hayley had somehow seen at least part of her argument with Scott.   
She heard Bill sigh harshly. “I’m sorry, baby.”   
“I want you, Daddy,” Hayley quietly said.   
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll come and get you,” Bill assured her. “Let me talk to Mama, okay?”   
“Hey,” Hillary said quietly, as she took the phone off of the speakerphone function and held it up to her ear.   
“I’ll come and get her,” Bill repeated.   
“Um, can I just bring her to you?” Hillary nervously asked, biting her lip.   
“Sure, that works, too,” Bill said. “What’s going on? Why did she say Scott hurt you? Did she have a bad dream or something?”   
Hillary closed her eyes, _wishing_ it had just been a dream.   
“Um, Scott and I had a fight but everything’s fine,” Hillary vaguely said, nervously clearing her throat.   
“Well, are you okay?” Bill checked, sounding genuinely concerned for his ex-wife.   
“I’m fine,” Hillary said flatly.   
“Okay, then,” Bill sighed, not quite believing Hillary. “Do you want to bring Hayley here or should I meet you guys somewhere?”   
“I’ll drop her off at Jess’s,” Hillary quietly said.   
“Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes then,” Bill said before he hung up.   
“Okay, let’s go to Daddy’s,” Hillary said to Hayley after she hung up.   
“Yay, Daddy!” Hayley excitedly squealed as Hillary stood up from the rocking chair with Hayley still in her arms. 

“Mama, baby?” Hayley asked as Hillary left the room and started walking downstairs.   
“The baby has to stay here,” Hillary explained. “She’s sleepy.”   
“With Scott?” Hayley frowned. “Noooooo!”   
“Will you shut her up?” Scott said, coming downstairs behind Hillary.   
Hillary glared at him as she put Hayley down on the ground. “I wish I could shut you up.”   
Scott angrily scowled and scoffed at Hillary.   
“Scott, she’s just a kid,” Hillary sadly sighed. “We scared her with our fighting. I can’t help that she’s protective over me,” she continued before she made a decision. “You know what? I’ll think I’ll take Cassandra with me to Bill’s.”   
“The hell you will!” Scott exclaimed.   
“God, Scott!” Hillary suddenly teared up, not being able to take it anymore. “Let’s just stop all of this!”   
Scott sighed harshly.   
“I’m so tired of fighting,” Hillary said, giving Scott an exasperated look.   
“Me, too,” Scott sighed quietly and nodded.   
“I’m so sorry,” Hillary said quietly.   
“You should be,” Scott sharply said.   
“God, why do you hate me?” Hillary asked, with an exhausted sigh.   
“I don’t.” Scott shook his head.   
“Can we talk about this?” Hillary sadly sighed.   
“I don’t have much else to say.” Scott shrugged.   
“Well we need to fucking fix this becaue I’m not living the rest of my life like this!” Hillary yelled.   
“Hillary, Jesus. Stop fucking yelling!” Scott exclaimed.   
“No! Fuck you!” Hillary retorted.   
“God, you drive me crazy,” Scott said with gritted teeth as he angrily clenched his fists.   
“Fine, then I’ll leave if that’s what you want,” Hillary spat out.   
“No, damn it! That’s not what I fucking want!” Scott yelled.   
“Well, you’re acting like it is,” Hillary pointed out.   
“No.” Scott shook his head. “You want _me_ to leave!”   
“I didn’t say that!” Hillary shot back. “I’m just mad that you’re ruining Cassandra’s first day home!”   
“See? You blame everything on me!” Scott exclaimed with wide eyes. “Like you don’t have a part in this argument at all!”   
“You started it, Scott, by bringing Bill up!” Hillary pointed out. She harshly sighed and rubbed her eyes, exhausted from all the fighting. “I have to drive Hayley over to Bill’s,” she quietly whispered, trying to end the fight.   
“I’ll go with you,” Scott offered. “You shouldn’t be driving. You just gave birth.”   
Hillary shook her head. “I’ll be fine. We both need some time to cool off. I’ll be back in a bit.”   
She grabbed Hayley’s hand.   
“Well, what do I do if Cassandra gets hungry?” Scott asked.   
“I just fed her. She should be fine until I get back. I’ll start pumping soon so that we’ll have milk when I’m not here.”   
“Okay,” Scott said shortly, just nodding.   
“Okay, Hayley. Come on. Let’s go,” Hillary said with a sad sigh.   
“Hillary?” Scott suddenly said.   
“What?” She asked softly.   
“I love you,” Scott said quietly.   
Hillary nodded. “I love you, too,” she flatly responded. 

* * * * *

A few minutes later, Hillary made the short drive over to Jessica’s townhouse and she was soon ringing the doorbell with Hayley in her arms.   
“Daddy!” Hayley squealed when Bill opened the door a few moments later.   
“Hey, baby,” Bill grinned, gently taking Hayley from Hillary.   
“Hey, Mom,” Jessica said, walking downstairs in her pajamas and coming up behind Bill.   
“Hey,” Hillary said softly.   
“You and Scott had a fight?” Jessica softly asked, her big brown eyes filled with worry and concern.   
Hillary nodded. “It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged, not wanting to discuss it with her daughter. “Anyways, I’ll come and pick up Chelsea and Hayley in the morning.”   
“Are you okay?” Jessica checked.   
Hillary shrugged. “Yeah. All couples fight. It's no big deal."   
“Yeah, well your wrists are bright red,” Jessica said as she noticed. She raised her eyebrows, making a realization. “Oh my God, did he hurt you?”   
“That’s not Scott’s fault.” Hillary shook her head. “ _And_ it's none of your business, okay?”   
“Hillary,” Bill said softly, giving her a concerned look matching the look on Jessica’s face.   
“I bruise easily,” Hillary shrugged. “I swear I’m fine.”   
“Mom, those are clearly handprints,” Jessica pointed out.   
“I’m fine. Really, Jess.” Hillary sighed.   
“Hillary, tell me what happened. Right now,” Bill said firmly.   
“I was in the mood for rough sex, okay?” Hillary made up with a shrug.   
“Two days after giving birth?” Jessica didn’t look convinced.   
“Yeah.” Hillary shrugged again.   
“Hill, you’re not telling the truth,” Bill said quietly.   
“Scott hurt Mama!” Hayley frantically said.   
“Please just forget about it,” Hillary begged, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m fine. I promise. It doesn't even hurt. And it sure as hell _isn’t_ going to happen again. I’ll kill him next time.”   
“Mom…” Jessica tried, looking and sounding shocked.   
“I have to go,” Hillary suddenly said, leaning over and quickly kissing Hayley on the cheek.   
She frantically walked back to her car before Jessica or Bill could stop her from leaving. Bill quickly passed Hayley over to Jessica and followed his ex-wife, catching up to her before she got in the car.   
“Get the fuck away from me, Bill!” Hillary exclaimed.   
“Hey,” Bill said, keeping his voice calm and steady. “ _Please_ call me if this _ever_ happens again.” He hated that this had happened to his ex-wife. Hell, he hated himself for _letting_ it happen.   
“It will _never_ happen again. Now go away!” Hillary yelled.   
Bill looked at Hillary softly causing her eyes to fill with tears again.   
“Just call me if it ever happens again, okay?” Bill said quietly.   
“Fine.” Hillary harshly sighed, giving in.   
Bill nodded. “Thank you. Now take care of yourself, Hill. Okay?”   
“I _always_ take care of myself,” Hillary firmly said.   
Bill nodded again. “I know.”   
“Don’t worry about me,” Hillary said quietly.   
“Impossible,” Bill said softly, staring at her tenderly, his eyes crinkling.   
Hillary suddenly burst into tears at Bill’s comment and the tender look on his face.   
“I have to go,” she sobbed out as she started getting into the car.   
Bill just stared at her, his eyes full of sadness and longing.   
Hillary turned around and stared at him in return. She sadly sighed. “I have to go, Bill.”   
  


* * * * *

She quietly walked through the front door of her house when she arrived home a few minutes later. She went upstairs to the nursery after she heard what sounded like Scott singing a lullaby to Cassandra. Scott looked up at her from his seat in the rocking chair where he was holding Cassandra and getting her to sleep.   
“Hey,” Hillary said quietly, as she entered the nursery.   
“Hi,” Scott said softly.   
Hillary took a seat and curled up in an armchair in the corner of the nursery, not knowing what to say. What was there to even say?   
“I’m sorry,” Scott suddenly said, breaking the silence.   
Hillary just nodded and wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall.   
Scott stood up and gently placed a now sleeping Cassandra into her bassinet. He crossed the nursery and walked over to where Hillary was sitting.   
“I _am_ sorry,” Scott repeated, with a sudden sniffle.   
Hillary looked up at her husband and shook her head.   
Scott loomed over her, hovering.   
“What?” Hillary snapped.   
“Stop yelling!” Scott yelled. “I’m sorry!”   
“You already said that,” Hillary said bitterly. She harshly sighed. “You _really_ hurt me, Scott. Both physically _and_ emotionally.”   
“And I said I was sorry,” Scott tried as he sniffled again.   
Hillary just nodded and bit her lip, not knowing what else there was to say.   
“I’m going to set some rules for you, Hillary,” Scott suddenly said.   
Hillary looked up at her husband in surprise. “And I’ll do the same for you,” she angrily retorted, giving Scott a pointed look.   
Scott scoffed and started laughing at Hillary.   
“Scott, seriously,” Hillary started. “If you’re _ever_ that rough with me again, I _will_ kill you.”   
“Why don’t you leave the rule making to me?” Scott gave Hillary a sinister looking smirk.   
“What the hell is wrong with you, Scott?” Hillary suddenly exclaimed. “Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You’re not acting like yourself.”   
“Well, I hoped I wouldn’t have to set rules but you aren’t really leaving me with much of a choice,” Scott continued, the sinister look still on his face.   
“Oh my God,” Hillary said with wide eyes as she suddenly made a realization. She took in her husband’s dilated pupils, his irritability, the sinister look on his face, the paranoia, and his sudden constant sniffling. And suddenly all of his behaviour over the past few days made sense...

“What are you on right now, Scott? Is it cocaine?” 

  
To Be Continued… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm pretty sure most if not all of you saw the tags and read earlier chapters, and figured out this is where the story was heading LOL. So if you guessed that this is what was going to happen and that Scott was going to relapse, good job! 
> 
> I know that I JUST updated the other day lol but I realized, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging on this bombshell for at least a week so since it is a holiday weekend for me and I'm not really doing anything/going anywhere for Thanksgiving this year (Thanks COVID for ruining my favourite holiday -_- But I digress...) I will most likely post Part 2 of this chapter Sunday night/early Monday morning so watch out for that! :) No promises but I will try! 
> 
> We have finally reached a turning point in the story, yay! Not necessarily THE turning point but A turning point ;) 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though I know it was a super intense and scary one. She still has a long way to go but hopefully old Hillary is slowly coming back and she's getting some of her fight and strength back. 
> 
> I've rambled long enough and I'm hella tired so I'm gonna head to bed but I hope everybody has an awesome weekend and as always, thank you SO much for reading! :)


	25. Confrontation Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2/the continuation of the last chapter as promised :)

“What are you talking about Hillary?” Scott asked, playing dumb.  
“You’re high,” Hillary accused, giving Scott a pointed stare.  
“No I’m not!” Scott fiercely shook his head.  
“Yes, you are!” Hillary insisted. All the signs were right in front of her.  
“So what if I am?” Scott yelled. “Who gives a fuck?”  
“What are you on?” Hillary asked again, tearing up as a million thoughts ran through her mind.  
“It doesn’t matter.” Scott let out a harsh sigh. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”  
“How long have you been back on the drugs for?” Hillary choked out, as she stood up from the armchair she had been sitting in. She started pacing back and forth in the nursery.  
“Hillary, I’m sorry,” Scott apologized, watching her pace back and forth. “I’m going to stop. I promise.”  
“ _How long?_ ” Hillary asked, louder and with a harsher tone of voice this time.  
Scott harshly sighed and winced. “A few weeks, I guess. I’ll go to rehab. I’m so sorry, honey. Don’t be angry. I’m sorry.”  
“ _A few weeks!?_ ” Hillary exclaimed in disbelief, cutting off Scott’s rambled apology as tears freely rolled down her cheeks. She knew Scott was a recovering addict but she had really never expected things to come to _this._ He had been clean for over a decade. “Oh my God!” She sobbed out. “What are you on, Scott? Is it cocaine again?”  
Scott closed his eyes and nodded, a guilty look on his face.  
“Why?” Hillary managed to choke out.  
“I’m sorry.” Scott sighed. “I’ve just been really stressed out lately. But I’ll stop. I got off the drugs once before and I can do it again.”  
“I cannot believe this, Scott!” Hillary exclaimed, her shock and disbelief turning into anger. “You’ve been sober for over a decade! Things have been good for us lately. Why would you go and do this now?”  
“I was just stressed, Hillary,” Scott repeated. “I’m going to get help for this. I’m sorry.”  
“You were stressed about what?” Hillary cried.  
“Well, I run a top New York City law firm, and I just had a baby for one thing!” Scott pointed out. “You were on bed rest and I was doing _everything._ ”  
“Those should be good things!” Hillary argued. “The fact that I was eight months pregnant should have been enough to stop you from doing fucking cocaine!” Her eyes widened as she made a horrible realization. “Oh my God, I’ve left Hayley alone with you the last few weeks, and now Cassandra! Oh my God.” She shook her head, disgusted with both herself and Scott. She hated herself for not noticing the signs sooner. She knew something about her husband had seemed “off” for the last month or so. He had stepped up while she was on bed rest but he had seemed...different. “Oh my God. What if something had happened to Cassandra or Hayley?” She put her head in her hands, hating the fact that she had unknowingly put her kids in danger like that.  
“Please calm down,” Scott begged. “I am _so_ sorry, Hillary. I’m going to fix this.”  
“Are you, Scott?” Hillary angrily said, glaring at her husband. “Or are you just saying that because I caught you?”  
“Please don’t be angry,” Scott tried. “I’m going to get better. I promise.”  
“Of course I’m going to be angry!” Hillary argued. “I cannot believe this, Scott.” She shook her head in disbelief once more.  
“I’ll go to rehab, Hillary. I promise,” Scott pleaded.  
“Damn right you will!”  
“Chill out, Hillary!” Scott yelled. “It’ll be all be okay, Hill. I can fix this.”  
“If you want anything to do with your daughter, then you have to,” Hillary sharply said, still glaring at her husband.  
Scott nodded. “I know. I know. Please don’t give up on me.”  
Hillary nodded as she sat back down in the armchair. She started quietly sobbing again.  
“I’m sorry.” Scott frowned with a forlorn look on his face as he knelt down in front of Hillary.  
“I am _so_ pissed at you,” Hillary said through her tears.  
Scott nodded, knowing he had royally messed things up between him and Hillary. “I’m sorry, Hillary. I love you.”  
Hillary got up from the chair and started walking away without a word.  
“Hillary, _please!"_ Scott pleaded.  
“Please what?” Hillary cried out as her tears rolled down her cheeks.  
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Scott didn’t know what else to say.  
Hillary just sadly shook her head.  
“Damn it, Hillary!” Scott suddenly snapped.  
“I _cannot_ believe you!” Hillary exclaimed.  
“Just shut up!” Scott screamed, the effects of the cocaine still not quite out of his body.  
“No, _you_ shut up!” Hillary argued back. “Get the fuck out of my house!”  
“Don’t you dare yell at me!”  
“Fine!” Hillary harshly sighed. “Then _I’ll_ leave.”  
Scott sighed. “No!”  
Hillary shook her head and walked over to Cassandra’s bassinet. “I’m leaving,” she announced as she scooped up her daughter.  
“You’re not going anywhere and neither am I!” Scott firmly said.  
“Well, Cassandra doesn’t deserve this and _I_ don’t deserve this!” Hillary argued.  
“She’s fine,” Scott insisted, glaring at Hillary. “I’m the best dad she could possibly have and I’m the best fucking husband you could ever have.”  
“Just shut up, Scott!” Hillary yelled, just wanting to get herself and her daughter the hell out of their house and away from Scott while he was in his current state.  
“No, you shut up and sit down!” Scott argued back.  
Hillary jumped in surprise and held Cassandra close to her. “Stop yelling, Scott. You’re scaring the baby.”  
“No, I’m scaring you,” Scott snarled. “So don’t fuck with me right now, Hillary. Sit the fuck down!”  
“No! You’re getting out of my fucking house!” Hillary tried again.  
“This is _my_ fucking house actually! So neither of us are going _anywhere!_ ”  
Hillary ignored him and turned to leave.  
Scott grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly. “ _Please,_ Hillary. Don’t leave. Please don’t take Cassandra from me.”  
“Let me go!” Hillary yelled, fighting to get her arm out of his tight grip.  
“You’re not leaving,” Scott seethed through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on her upper arm.  
“Scott, let me go!” Hillary tried again. “You’re acting _crazy_ right now.”  
“I don’t care! You’re not leaving!” Scott yelled with wide eyes.  
Cassandra suddenly woke up from all the yelling and started loudly crying.  
“Make her shut up!” Scott yelled.  
“I’m going to take her to a hotel for the night,” Hillary managed to calmly say as she pulled her arm out of Scott’s grasp. “Pull yourself together in the meantime.” Before Scott could trap her in the nursery again, she quickly grabbed Cassandra’s diaper bag and started walking down the hallway to the master bedroom.  
“It’s okay, baby. Mama’s got you,” Hillary soothed, as she walked into her bedroom and then her walk-in closet. One handed, she managed to grab a duffle bag which she started throwing clothes into at random.  
“Hillary!” Scott exclaimed, coming into the master bedroom just as Hillary was zipping her bag up. Scott let out a huff as he gave up fighting and let Hillary leave for the night. Carefully cradling Cassandra against her with one hand, she managed to carry Cassandra and their bags down to the car. She quickly threw hers and Cassandra’s bags into the backseat, and buckled Cassandra into her car seat. She got into the driver’s seat and drove away as quickly as possible, without looking back.  
  


* * * * *

“Hi, there. How can I help you?” A cheerful desk clerk greeted Hillary when she arrived at the hotel, finding the one that was closest to her house.  
“I, um, I need a room for the night,” Hillary nervously said, pushing her sunglasses up on her face. She nervously looked around the hotel lobby, half expecting Scott to have followed her.  
“Oh, I’m so sorry but we’re all booked up for the night. There’s a medical conference in town,” the desk clerk apologetically said giving Hillary a sympathetic smile.  
“Are you serious?” Hillary asked, her sunglasses hiding the look of fear and disbelief on her face.  
“Afraid so.” The desk clerk frowned but noticed the frantic state of the women in front of her. “I can call around to other hotels if you’d like?”  
“No, um, that’s okay.” Hillary bit her lip. “I’ll figure something out. Thanks.”  
She picked Cassandra’s car seat and her bags back up and went back out to the car.  
“Shit,” she muttered to herself as she buckled Cassandra’s car seat back into the car. What was she going to do now? She quickly got into the driver’s seat and dialed Jessica’s cell phone.  
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” she desperately whispered, praying that her daughter would answer.   
“Hello?” Jessica answered, sounding like she had just woken up.   
“Jessica, can Cassandra and I stay the night with you?” Hillary asked, cutting right to the chase. “Scott’s been doing drugs. He relapsed.”  
“What?” Jessica gasped. This was not news she had been expecting when her mother’s phone call had woken her up out of her slumber.  
“I don’t really want to talk about it right now,” Hillary said, on the verge of tears again. “The closest hotel is booked up and I need a safe place to take Cassandra.”  
“Of course. Come on over,” Jessica said, also wanting her mom and her baby sister to be in a safe environment.  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said before she hung up.

* * * * * *  
  


Jessica met her mom and baby sister at the front door of her townhouse after Hillary had rung the doorbell.  
“Are you okay, Mom?” Jessica asked Hillary with a concerned look on her face as she let Hillary into the foyer of the townhouse.  
“I’m fine,” Hillary assured her daughter. “I just couldn’t stay in that house with him when he was in that state. I just need a few minutes to get myself together."  
“Of course.” Jessica nodded, seeing that her mother was at her breaking point. “Go up to my room. I’ll take the baby.”  
Hillary nodded and passed Cassandra’s car seat over to Jessica. “ _Please_ keep her safe.”  
“I will, Mom.” Jessica nodded, assuring Hillary. “Now go on up to my room.”  
Hillary quickly went upstairs to Jessica’s bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. She took a nice big deep breath as she attempted to pull herself together.   
“Hillary?” She suddenly heard on the other side of the closed door.  
She walked over to the door and opened it.  
“I’m fine, Bill,” she lied and looked away, seeing Bill standing there.  
“Leave her alone, Bill,” Jessica said, standing at the top of the stairs.  
“Sorry...I’m sorry,” Bill sadly said before he disappeared into his bedroom and closed the door.  
Hillary quickly brushed her tears away, feeling them well up in her eyes before Jessica noticed just as Cassandra started crying downstairs.  
“I’ve got her,” Jessica assured Hillary.  
“She’s probably hungry,” Hillary suddenly realized.  
Jessica nodded. Wordlessly she went downstairs, scooped up Cassandra from her car seat and brought her upstairs to her bedroom room. She passed the baby over to Hillary and left Hillary alone to breastfeed Cassandra in peace.  
Cassandra started calming down as Hillary fed her.  
“You _were_ hungry,” Hillary said softly, staring tenderly down at her daughter. “God, I love you _so_ much, Cassandra,” Hillary whispered. She sadly sighed to herself. This was not the kind of life she wanted for her daughter at _all._  
  
“Mom?” Jessica gently knocked on the door a few minutes later.  
“Yeah?” Hillary weakly called out.  
“You okay?” Jessica asked, opening the door.  
Hillary shrugged.  
“Can I sit with you?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary nodded. “Of course,” she quietly said.  
“I’m _so_ sorry, Mom,” Jessica quietly said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to her mother.  
“It’s fine,” Hillary shrugged again. “We’ll just have to figure all of this out.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly.  
“He said he’ll go to rehab,” Hillary said flatly as Cassandra finished eating.  
Jessica just nodded again, still in shock over the whole situation and not knowing what else to say.  
“I can’t believe him,” Hillary suddenly said as she teared up. “Do you really think it’s that horrible being married to me?” She choked out.  
“What? No, of course not!” Jessica insisted, shaking her head as she gently rubbed her mother's back.   
Hillary quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand. “I still don’t understand why he would do this _now_.” She shook her head in disbelief.  
"Addiction is a disease, Mom,” Jessica quietly said with a sad sigh.  
“Oh, don’t give me that, Jess,” Hillary said. “He’d been clean for over a decade.”  
“Still.” Jessica shrugged, not wanting to upset her mother further in the fragile state her mother was currently in.  
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Hillary suddenly said in a quiet voice.  
Jessica nodded.   
“Are Chelsea and Hayley already asleep?” Hillary checked.  
“I think Chelsea’s watching a movie in the basement but Hayley’s asleep,” Jessica answered.  
“That’s good,” Hillary said softly as Jessica wrapped her arms around her mother, squeezing her tightly.  
Hillary wrapped her free arm around Jessica in return, feeling somewhat comforted by the hug.  
“Want to order pizza and watch a movie?” Jessica asked softly, wanting to take her mother’s mind off of everything that was going on.  
“Sure.” Hillary nodded. She could use the distraction.  
“Okay.” Jessica smiled softly as she grabbed the cordless phone from her nightstand and ordered a pizza.  
Cassandra yawned and closed her eyes just as Jessica hung up.  
“She’s beautiful,” Jessica weakly smiled as she passed her mother some tissues from the box on the nightstand, so Hillary could clean herself up.  
“Just like you,” Hillary softly said.  
Jessica stared at her mother tenderly and nodded. “Sophia is sleeping in her crib in her room. You can put Cassandra in Sophia’s old bassinet if you want. I can bring it upstairs from the basement.”  
Hillary nodded. “Sure.”  
Jessica nodded as both women stood up from the bed and walked downstairs. Hillary headed into the living room while Jessica went down to the basement to find the bassinet.  
“Oh, hey,” Hillary awkwardly said to Bill, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV.  
“Hey,” Bill said softly, looking up at Hillary with concerned eyes.  
“Can you watch her for a minute?” Hillary suddenly asked, holding Cassandra out to Bill.  
“Yeah, of course,” Bill nodded and took the baby from his ex-wife. “Where are you going?”  
“I’m just going to go upstairs and rest in Jessica’s room for a bit,” Hillary explained, still needing a few minutes to collect her thoughts.  
“Okay.” Bill nodded understandingly and stared down at the baby in his arms. “She’s really beautiful, Hill.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said as Jessica came upstairs with Sophia’s old bassinet after getting it from her storage room.  
“Will you come and get me when the pizza gets here?” Hillary asked. “I just need a few minutes alone.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly. “Of course.”  
After Hillary disappeared upstairs and Bill gently placed a now sleeping Cassandra into the bassinet, Jessica took a seat on the couch next to Bill.  
“What an asshole,” Jessica said with a harsh sigh, referring to Scott. “I hate him so much.”  
“Me, too,” Bill muttered, angrily shaking his head at what Hillary was going through.  
“That explains the red marks on her wrists though,” Jessica realized, a horrified look on her face.  
“I can’t stand the thought of _anyone_ putting their hands on her,” Bill admitted, angrily shaking his head again. “I honestly want to kill him with my bare hands.”  
“Well, you can’t,” Jessica said with a sigh. “Because then you’d be in jail which wouldn’t be good for any of us.”  
“I know.” Bill sadly sighed as Jessica rested her head on his shoulder. He gently rubbed Jessica’s back. “How are you doing, Jess?”  
“I’m okay, I guess,” Jessica answered with a sad sigh. “I’m just worried about Mom.”  
“She’ll be okay,” Bill reassured his stepdaughter, not sure if he was saying it for Jessica’s sake or more for his own sake. “She can take care of herself.”  
“Well, she shouldn’t have to,” Jessica quietly said, an upset look on her face. “She deserves better than that.”  
“Maybe Scott will get clean again and change.” Bill shrugged. Stranger things had happened…  
Jessica shrugged as she grabbed the television remote. “Yeah, maybe.”  
  


Meanwhile, Hillary stood at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on Jessica and Bill’s conversation.  
“Will you be there for her?” She heard Jessica ask Bill.  
“If she needs me and she asks for my help, of course I’ll be there for her,” Bill sincerely answered. “But I screwed up, Jess. I _lost_ her. I don’t think she _wants_ my help.”  
Hillary teared up and started crying quietly to herself, upon hearing Bill’s words. She hated that Bill thought that when it was actually the complete opposite. She needed Bill now more than ever.  
“You need to be there for her, Jess,” she heard Bill continue. “Stop arguing with her. She’s already stressed out enough. Don’t hover because that will just make her anxious but make sure you’re there for her when she needs you.”  
From her spot on the top of the stairs, Hillary watched Jessica nod in agreement, the two of them unaware that Hillary was watching and listening to their conversation from a distance.  
“Okay,” she heard Jessica quietly say.  
“Alexis called today,” Bill changed the subject with a sad sigh.  
“And said what?” Jessica asked, her face scrunched up in disgust and confusion.  
Bill chuckled bitterly. “She got the paternity test results. The baby’s definitely not mine. It’s her ex’s.”  
“Oh God, Bill,” Jessica sadly sighed again. “I’m so sorry, Bill.”  
“I wasn’t happy with Alexis anymore,” Bill conceded. “I just wish I hadn’t gotten attached to the idea of having another kid.” He sadly shook his head.  
“Wait, what?” Hillary asked in confusion, coming down the stairs and walking into the living room after hearing that part of the conversation.  
“Alexis cheated on Dad and got pregnant with another man’s baby,” Jessica explained. “It was one of her exes.”  
“Oh wow,” Hillary said, a shocked look on her face as she took this new information in. She already knew about Alexis cheating on Bill but she had no idea that Alexis had gotten pregnant from this affair. “I’m so sorry, Bill,” she said, the sincerity evident in her voice.  
Bill harshly sighed and shrugged. “It’s not your fault, Hillary.”  
Hillary nodded and bit her lip.  
“You know what,” Bill suddenly decided, standing up from the couch. “I need to go clear my head. I’m going to go for a walk around the block.”  
Jessica and Hillary nodded understandingly and watched Bill walk out the front door as Cassandra woke up and started fussing. Hillary quickly picked her up and worked on calming her back down.  
“What movie do you want to watch?” Jessica asked her mom, pulling up the ‘On Demand’ menu on the TV.  
“Ummm, you pick something, honey. It doesn’t matter to me,” Hillary said, gently rocking Cassandra back to sleep.  
Jessica nodded as she started scrolling through the movie options. “Oh, I got a new job!” She announced, trying to take her mother's mind off of things.   
“Where?” Hillary asked, perking up slightly.  
“I got a job as a ballet teacher at a dance school.” Jessica chuckled slightly.  
Hillary managed to chuckle in return as she placed a now sleeping Cassandra back into the bassinet. “Really? You haven’t danced since you were seventeen, sweetie.”  
“I know,” Jessica shrugged. “But I was pretty good back then. And besides, the kids are only four and five so hopefully they won't be able to tell that I’m a little rusty,” she joked. “I teach my first class next Monday afternoon.”  
“That’s great, hon.” Hillary smiled over at her daughter.  
Jessica smiled and nodded in agreement just as the doorbell rang.  
Jessica got up to pay for the pizza and brought it back to the living/dining room area.  
“Chelsea, the pizza’s here!” She called down the basement stairs.  
“So, ballet for five year olds, huh?” Hillary asked, grabbing a slice of pizza.  
“Yep!” Jessica happily grinned. “I still have a few shifts at the coffee shop left to finish out but I can’t wait until Monday.”  
“Do they have a class for younger children?” Hillary asked curiously.  
Jessica nodded. “Sign Hayley up! Chelsea and I were about her age when we started ballet.”  
Hillary weakly smiled and nodded in agreement. “I will.”  
“Now let’s eat some pizza,” Jessica excitedly said as Chelsea came upstairs.  
Hillary sighed and picked up her piece off her plate. “Today Scott told me I had to eat healthy and work out more.”  
Chelsea scoffed. “You look _amazing_ , Mom.”  
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Chelsea’s right, Mom. You look great for just having had a baby a few days ago.”  
“You’re lying.” Hillary scoffed.  
“We’re not! Ask anybody,” Jessica insisted right at the same moment that Bill walked back inside the house and started taking his shoes off.  
“Isn’t Mom gorgeous, Dad?” Chelsea asked as Bill walked back inside the living room.  
“Chels!” Hillary’s cheeks flushed and so did Bill’s.  
“Whatever, Mom.” Jessica rolled her eyes again. “You shouldn’t listen to Scott. He’s an idiot.”  
“He really is,” Bill agreed. He wasn't sure what his daughter was referring to as he hadn’t been a part of the conversation but he knew whatever the conversation had been about, Scott was _definitely_ an idiot.  
Hillary blushed again. She hesitated before she finally said, “Today I wanted macaroni and cheese for dinner, like Hayley was having, and he tried to make me a green salad instead.”  
“Ugh, what an asshole!” Jessica exclaimed, feeling new rage towards Scott coming to the surface at Hillary’s admission.  
“I jokingly said we should install an elevator in the house and he said we couldn’t because the stairs keep my ass in shape,” Hillary continued, so her family could get the whole story.  
Chelsea, Bill, and Jessica all rolled their eyes.  
“Mom, you are the hottest middle aged woman I know,” Chelsea said, before she took a bite of pizza.  
Hillary rolled her eyes.  
“Mom, I’m serious!” Chelsea insisted.  
“Whatever, Chels.” Hillary waved her off.  
“Seriously, Mom,” Jessica piped in. “You’re beautiful.”  
“Did you find a movie, Jess?” Hillary asked, trying to change the subject just as her cell phone started ringing.  
She quickly got up from the couch and went into the foyer to answer it to get some privacy after seeing her home phone number on the call display.  
“Hello?” she answered softly once she was out of the room.  
“Hillary, get your ass home right now!” Scott yelled on the other end.  
“Stop yelling,” Hillary calmly said.  
“I need you to come home!” Scott demanded. “I said I was sorry.”  
“Cassandra is sleeping, Scott,” Hillary explained. “I’m not coming home tonight.”  
“Hillary!”  
“Scott, you still sound like you’re high as a kite. You’re not yourself. I know that you can be a good man when you’re sober but I’m afraid to bring Cassandra home when you’re in this state. I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise.”  
“I’ll still be like this tomorrow!” Scott threatened.  
“I’m not doing this right now, Scott,” Hillary softly said.  
“I _demand_ that you listen to me, Hillary,” Scott snarled through the phone. “I am your husband, Goddamnit!”  
Hillary’s eyes suddenly welled with tears. “Yeah, well. Right now, you’re _not_ the man I married.”  
She quickly hung up without another word and turned her phone off, praying Scott wouldn’t find her at Jessica’s place.  
Jessica and Chelsea looked up at her, their faces filled with worry as she walked back inside the living room.  
“What happened?” Chelsea nervously asked.  
Hillary shook her head as she took a seat on the couch in between Jessica and Chelsea. “Nothing. Just put the movie on.”

* * * * *

Halfway through the movie, they suddenly heard a loud pounding on Jessica’s front door and someone frantically ringing the doorbell.  
Hillary froze and her eyes widened in fear as she realized Scott must have tracked her down.  
“Girls, please take Cassandra up to Jess's room,” Hillary quickly said before she ran to the door.  
Bill, who had retired to bed earlier to give his ex-wife and his eldest daughters some girl time, came out of his bedroom and sleepily started walking down the stairs, having been awoken by the loud pounding and the doorbell.  
“Get the baby, we’re leaving _now!_ ” Scott firmly said, getting right up and into Hillary’s face after Hillary had hesitantly opened the front door. Scott suddenly noticed Bill standing behind Hillary.  
“What the _fuck_?” He loudly exclaimed.  
Hillary turned around and noticed Bill. “Bill, go back to bed. I’m fine,” she said, trying her best to remain calm as to not escalate the situation.  
Bill ignored her and instead took a few steps closer to where Scott and Hillary were standing.  
“Bill, I said don’t!” Hillary frantically yelled, terrified that Scott would hurt him (or herself).”I can handle this,” she insisted.  
Bill looked down at Hillary, hesitant to leave her alone with Scott, scared what Scott could or would possibly do in his current state.  
“Why don’t you get the fuck away from my wife?” Scott demanded, shoving Hillary out of the way and taking a step towards Bill.  
“Why don’t _you_ leave instead!?” Bill argued back.  
“I will, with pleasure,” Scott angrily snarled at Bill. “But I won’t be alone. She’s coming with me.” He grabbed Hillary’s wrist causing Hillary to jump in surprise.  
She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp.  
“We’re leaving,” Scott firmly said. “ _Now._ Go get Hayley and Cassandra.”  
“Scott, please!” Hillary desperately pleaded.  
He moved his hands to Hillary’s shoulders and grabbed them forcefully. “Get Hayley and Cassandra! We’re leaving!”  
“Please let me go,” Hillary tried. “I’m _not_ leaving.” She harshly sighed. “Scott, you’re high. You’re going to hurt somebody.”  
“Well, drugs are the only way I can fucking deal with you people!” Scott angrily argued. “Now go get the kids!”  
“Scott, you shouldn’t even be _driving_ in this condition,” Hillary pointed out. “I can’t come home with you because you might hurt me or one of the kids and you wouldn’t even realize it.”  
Scott suddenly shoved Hillary up against the door. “I’m not asking you, Hillary. I’m _telling_ you.”  
Bill roughly shoved Scott off of Hillary. “ _Don’t_ touch her again.”  
“Scott, I’ll come home when the drugs are out of your system,” Hillary tried in a scared and desperate tone of voice. “After you’ve calmed down.”  
“I’m not going to calm down, Hillary!” Scott threatened. “Because I’m sick and fucking tired of you!”  
“Fine. I’ll come home,” Hillary acquiesced, hoping Scott would calm down some if she agreed to go home with him.  
“Damn right you will!” Scott demanded.  
“Hillary, don’t!” Bill gave her a concerned look.  
“Tell Jessica and Chelsea to watch Cassandra,” Hillary said quietly to Bill. “I’ll come pick her up in the morning after I’ve dealt with him,” she whispered.  
“Hillary!” Bill tried calling after Hillary but it was too late, she was already out the door and walking down the driveway with Scott, towards Scott’s car.  
“Let me drive,” Hillary quietly said, not wanting Scott to drive in his condition.  
Scott nodded and handed his car keys to Hillary.  
“When we get home, I’m finding a rehab center to take you, too,” Hillary angrily said as she started the car.  
“I don’t need rehab.” Scott harshly sighed and flopped his head back against the headrest of the passenger seat. “I can get clean on my own, I think. I don’t want to leave you and Cassandra.”  
“Please, Scott,” Hillary pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. “You need professional help. I can’t live with you if you’re going to be like this. It isn’t fair to me or our daughter. _Please_ go for me and Cassandra.”  
Scott adamantly shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go to rehab.”  
“I know, honey.” Hillary sighed in frustration. “Just do it for your family, okay?”  
Scott harshly sighed and nodded, a frustrated look on his face. “Fine!”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said with a nod as she made the short drive from Jessica’s townhouse to her own house.

* * * * *

As soon as they arrived back at home, Hillary went straight upstairs to her home office to research drug and alcohol inpatient rehab centers. After a quick online search, she had found one in Long Island, New York that seemed suitable and was somewhat close to home so she could easily visit Scott. She had just picked up the phone to call them and see if they had a spot available when Scott came into her office. He angrily glared at Hillary, as Hillary felt a chill run up her spine. She was debating whether or not to call the police when Scott took the phone out of her hands and hung it up.  
“Can we talk about this?” He asked.  
Hillary nervously swallowed and nodded, afraid for her own life, not wanting to set Scott over the edge.  
“Why did you start again? After all this time?” She asked in a quiet tone of voice.  
Scott just shrugged. “I told you. I was stressed. But I am _so_ sorry for starting again. It was one of the worst mistakes of my entire life. You’re right. I need to go to rehab.”  
“Then why did you just hang up the phone?” Hillary softly asked. She nervously cleared her throat. “I was about to give them a call to try and get you a spot.”  
“I don’t know.” Scott sadly sighed. “Please don’t be mad at me.”  
“Can I call them then?” Hillary asked, trying to keep her voice steady to not show her fear to Scott.  
Scott nodded.  
Hillary nodded in return. “I’ll make the arrangements then.”  
  


* * * * *

“They have a spot for you,” Hillary quietly said a few minutes later after hanging up. “I’ll drive you and get you checked in in the morning.”  
Scott sadly sighed and nodded. “Can we go get Cassandra then? I want to be with you two.”  
Hillary reluctantly nodded, realizing that Scott seemed to have calmed down. “Fine. I’ll go get her. You stay here.”  
Scott nodded. He tried reaching for Hillary’s hand to squeeze it but she pulled her arm away and shook her head. “I’m _so_ mad at you right now.”  
“I’m sorry,” Scott sighed, not knowing what else to say. “I’m going to get help. I promise.”  
  


* * * * *

After arriving back at Jessica’s townhouse a few minutes later, Hillary let herself in with the spare key that she found under the doormat and quietly crept upstairs to Jessica’s bedroom, seeing as the house was dark and quiet.  
“Hi,” Jessica said quietly as she sat up in bed while Hillary quietly entered the bedroom. Jessica had been half-expecting her mother to return some time that night so she had waited up for her.  
“Hey,” Hillary said with a sigh. “Scott’s going to rehab in the morning.”  
“Good.” Jessica sleepily nodded. “That’s good.”  
“He wants to spend his last few hours with Cassandra while he can,” Hillary explained, going over to the bassinet.  
Jessica nodded understandingly. “She got a little fussy.” She watched as her mother reached into the bassinet to scoop up Cassandra. “He didn’t hurt you again, did he?” Jessica asked, giving her mother a worried look.  
Hillary shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”  
“Mom—”  
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hillary said before Jessica could object further. “Thanks for taking care of Cassandra.”  
Jessica nodded, trying to be supportive of her mother. “No problem.”  
  


* * * * *

“I’m sorry,” Scott apologized for the hundredth time, after Hillary put Cassandra down in her bassinet in the nursery.  
Hillary just shrugged, getting tired of his constant empty apologies. “Well, you’re going to get better. You _have_ to.”  
Scott nodded in agreement. “For you and Cassandra.”  
Hillary nodded. “Exactly. Now let’s go to bed. It’s been a long night.”  
“Can Cassandra sleep with us?” Scott asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.  
Hillary nodded and carefully picked up Cassandra, being careful not to wake her up.   
They went down the hallway to their master bedroom where Hillary crawled into bed, cuddling Cassandra close to her.  
“I didn’t mean any of what I said earlier,” Scott said, standing at the edge of the bed.  
Hillary looked down and bit her lip.  
“I am _so_ sorry,” Scott apologized again. “You _know_ that isn’t like me, Hillary.”  
“Or maybe that’s how you really feel,” Hillary said in a quiet tone, a hint of bitterness in her voice.  
Scott shook his head. “It isn’t. _God_ , Hillary. I am _so_ sorry. You weren’t in my life the first time I got hooked on the stuff, thank God. I don’t even know what I’m saying or doing half the time when I’m high.”  
“Well, that doesn’t make it hurt any less,” Hillary quietly explained, staring into space.  
“I was just so stressed out,” Scott admitted with a frustrated sigh. “I needed help and I just snapped. I turned to drugs rather than a more healthy coping mechanism.”  
“You could have talked to _me_ , Scott. You could have talked to _someone_ if you didn't want to talk to me.” Hillary said, her voice breaking as she teared up. “I still can’t even believe this.”  
“I am _really_ sorry,” Scott repeated, looking down, a guilty look on his face.  
“Whatever, Scott.” Hillary just shook her head.  
“I love you,” Scott pleaded.  
“Let’s just go to sleep, okay?” Hillary said quietly as she quickly brushed a fallen tear off her cheek. “We have a long drive ahead of us in the morning. We’ll talk then.”  
  


To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I managed to get this chapter up :) I hope you've been enjoying the frequent updates! Unfortunately, I think I have a busy week ahead of me this week so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update but I will definitely aim for my usual Friday or Saturday night update at the very least. Bear with me, I still have a few more pre-written chapters left and am working on another one now so hopefully I can still keep updating pretty regularly. 
> 
> My chill/low key Thanksgiving at home was actually great! As much as I love the holidays, I did not really miss going to a big family dinner to be honest haha. Even though its been a rough year for most of us, I'm sure, there are still a lot of things to be thankful for this year. And one of the things I'm thankful for this year is writing and all of you readers! I am so very thankful and appreciative if you've ever clicked on this story (or any of my stories) to read, to comment, and/or to leave a kudos! Thank you very much!! I am loving writing this story and all of your amazing comments and feedback on it. There is still SO MUCH in store that I have planned! :D
> 
> I lost my train of thought now and should probably go to bed lol but once again, thank you SO MUCH for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the update and the continuation from the last chapter. Like I said, there is still lots more in store so stay tuned and I hope everybody has a great week! :)


	26. Circle The Drain

As Hillary woke up the next morning, laying next to Scott with Cassandra in between them, she sadly sighed and looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Scott was still sleeping soundly. They still had a few more hours until they had to make the drive to the rehab center.   
“Shhh,” Hillary quietly soothed as Cassandra started fussing. She gently scooped her up and gently held her daughter against her chest. When she realized her daughter needed a new diaper, she quietly crawled out of bed, being careful not to wake up Scott, and walked down the hallway to the nursery. 

“There. All better!” She smiled down at Cassandra a few minutes later as she finished up with the diaper change and Cassandra calmed down.   
“Is she okay?” Scott sleepily asked, entering the nursery. He stood in the doorway and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.   
Hillary nodded. “She’s fine.”   
Scott nodded in return and walked over to the two of them, gently scooping up Cassandra.   
“She’s so beautiful,” Scott marvelled, staring down at Cassandra as she let out a tiny little yawn.   
Hillary nodded in agreement and weakly smiled.   
“I don’t want to leave her, Hillary,” Scott suddenly said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.   
“Well, you have to,” Hillary retorted with a sad sigh.   
No.” Scott started shaking his head.   
“Scott!” Hillary closed her eyes, trying to fight off her frustration. “It’s only a month, honey.”   
“Yeah, a month too long.” Scott let out an annoyed huff.   
“We’ll come visit you,” Hillary offered.   
“That’s not enough.” Scott shook his head. “Hillary, she was _just_ born.”   
“I’m sorry, Scott but you should have thought about that before you started snorting cocaine again,” Hillary bitterly retorted. “She deserves a healthy and present father.”   
“No, she deserves a father who’s home,” Scott argued, the frustration rising in his voice.   
“Scott, you _have_ to go to rehab,” Hillary pleaded, sounding more vulnerable than she wished to.   
“Hillary, she was _just_ born,” Scott repeated. “I read in all those parenting books that the first few weeks are important for bonding.”   
“Stop making excuses, Scott,” Hillary said, tearing up. “You _have_ to go to rehab. You need help.”   
“I don’t want to leave you two!” Scott argued.   
“Well, if you don’t go to rehab, I’ll leave you anyways,” Hillary sharply threatened.   
“What the hell, Hillary!?”   
“I’m not letting Cassandra grow up with an addict for a father!” Hillary argued. “So either go to rehab and get clean or this’ll be the last you’ll _ever_ see of us.”   
Scott sighed in frustration and started pacing around the nursery with Cassandra still in his arms.   
“ _Please_ don’t make me leave her, Hillary,” Scott begged. “You’re lucky. You two got to be together for nine months! I just _now_ get to actually be with her.”   
Hillary shook her head. “Scott, you _have_ to go to rehab or you’ll never get off the drugs.”   
Scott sadly sighed. “No, I can quit on my own. I promise!”   
“Scott, you’re a drug addict. You need professional help.”   
“Well, who says I won’t just take Cassandra and leave _you_?” Scott asked with wide eyes. “Please. Please, Hillary. Please don’t make me leave her.”   
Hillary sighed, knowing Scott was trying to play mind games with her. “Honey.”   
“Don’t.” Scott shook his head. “I’m _not_ going.”   
“Yes, you are!” Hillary argued.   
“No, I’m not!” Scott yelled back.   
“Scott, I can’t be with you anymore if you’re going to be like this,” Hillary said, tearing up again. “ _Please_ go to rehab and get better.”   
“I’m not going!” Scott refused, frantically shaking his head.   
“Scott, please,” Hillary said, trying to remain calm.   
“No, I can’t ruin my reputation just to make _you_ happy,” Scott argued.   
“So, you don’t care about your _daughter_?” Hillary pointed out with wide eyes.   
“I can still be a good father without going to rehab,” Scott insisted. “I can get better, Hillary!”   
“Scott, you’re a drug addict! You’re not just going to stop doing cocaine without professional counselling!” Hillary argued.   
“I can stop! I promise!” Scott pleaded. “It’s really not that big a deal, Hillary.”   
“ _Please_ , Scott. I’m begging you.”   
“No!” Scott shook his head again.   
“Well, then I guess we can’t be together anymore.” Hillary finally gave her husband an ultimatum.   
“Hillary, please!” Scott begged.   
“Stop making excuses, Scott,” Hillary said. “I know you won’t stop the drugs if you don’t go. Do it for me and Cassandra.”   
Scott shook his head and gave Hillary an icy stare. “ _No_.”   
Hillary teared up again but shook her head to keep the tears away. She shrugged and left the nursery. “Fine. I won’t force you.”   
Instead, she went into the Master bedroom and found a suitcase, to start packing up her and Cassandra’s belongings into.   
“Okay, okay. I’ll go!” Scott acquiesced, seeing Hillary grab a suitcase. “Please don't take Cassandra away from me.”   
“Scott, if you don’t get clean, I _swear_ you will never see either one of us ever again,” Hillary threatened in a firm tone of voice.   
Scott nodded.   
“I will take her and you will never see her ever again!” Hillary repeated, getting worked up as she stared defiantly at Scott with her jaw and mouth set in a straight line.   
“Okay, Hillary! I get it!” Scott yelled, getting frustrated.   
“Good.” Hillary simply nodded just as Cassandra started crying.   
Hillary went over to Scott and grabbed the baby from him.   
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m just in a bad mood,” Scott apologized.   
“Yeah. Well me, too,” Hillary countered, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at him as she sat down on the edge of the bed so she could feed Cassandra. “You better pack your bags by the way.”   
“I want to spend time with Cassandra. Can’t you pack for me?” Scott asked.   
Hillary sighed and _did_ roll her eyes this time. But hey, if it actually got Scott to check into rehab then she was willing to pack his suitcases for him. 

After she finished feeding Cassandra, she passed the baby back to Scott and found Scott’s suitcase in the closet.   
Hillary suddenly sighed harshly and teared up. “I don’t want you to go.” Even though she had Jessica and Chelsea, and she had been a single mother to Jessica when Jessica was born, the idea of being alone with a newborn for at least a month suddenly sounded absolutely daunting to her. She sighed again. “Wait a few weeks, if you want. I don’t want to be alone with a newborn.”   
“No, you’re right. I have to go.” Scott nodded, finally realizing Hillary was right. “You won’t be alone. You have Jessica and Chelsea.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement, knowing that Scott needed to go to rehab. She could handle things without him for one month.   
“What time should we leave at?” Scott asked.   
Hillary checked the alarm clock on the nightstand as she packed up Scott’s clothes. “We should hit the road around ten. They’re expecting you for noon.” That meant they had two more hours to get ready for the road trip to Long Island.   
Scott nodded and carefully placed Cassandra in her bassinet so he could help Hillary pack.   
“Do you want anything in particular for breakfast?” He asked as he grabbed a stack of his T-shirts from his dresser.   
“Pancakes?” Hillary suggested.   
Scott nodded. “I can do that.”   
“Thanks.” Hillary nodded gratefully and pecked his cheek. “I’ll finish packing.”   
  


* * * * *

“I’m sorry I’ve messed everything up,” Scott apologized as he heard Hillary coming into the kitchen a while later.   
Hillary shrugged and watched him as he stood over the stove flipping the pancakes. “People make mistakes. You’re going to get better.”   
Scott nodded. “You’re right.”   
Hillary nodded in return and held Cassandra close to her as she took a seat at the kitchen table.   
Scott made her a plate of pancakes a few minutes later and placed them in front of her.   
“Am I _allowed_ to eat them?” Hillary sarcastically asked, a bitter edge to her voice.   
“Of course.” Scott sadly sighed. “I’m sorry I said that stuff yesterday.”   
“Maybe you were right.” Hillary slightly shrugged. “I should start eating better to lose the baby weight.”   
Scott shrugged. “I think you’re beautiful, sweetheart and I am so sorry about yesterday. Do whatever you want to do. Eat whatever you want to eat.”   
Hillary nodded slightly and sighed. “I’m going to miss your cooking.”   
“Well, you’re a good cook,” Scott pointed out. “I taught you well,” he teased with a slight smirk on his face.   
“I’m still not as good as you,” Hillary said as she checked the clock on the wall of the kitchen. “We should start to get a move on if we want to beat the traffic.”   
Scott nodded and sighed. “I need to take a shower.”   
Hillary nodded. “Go ahead.”

After she finished her breakfast and got Cassandra dressed and ready to go, she put the now sleeping infant into her bassinet and then went to go check on Scott who was still in the shower.   
“Scott?” She gently knocked on the door to their luxurious Master bathroom. She opened the door a crack and gasped at the sight in front of her.   
Scott had left the shower water running but he was bent over the bathroom counter, snorting a line of coke.   
Hearing her loud gasp, Scott looked up at her in surprise.   
“What the hell, Scott!?” Hillary exclaimed as she suddenly teared up. “What is this? Some last hurrah before rehab?”   
“You don’t understand, Hillary,” Scott said in a pleading tone. “I _need_ it. Please just let me do this one last time and then I’ll get clean! I swear!”   
“Then you don’t need me.” Hillary angrily shook her head. “Figure out how to get to rehab on your own because I’m leaving.”   
“Hillary, no!” Scott begged, following Hillary as she walked away into their bedroom and towards the closet. “I’ll go to the rehab center! I’ll get better!”   
“Yeah, right.” Hillary rolled her eyes as she took her suitcase out of her walk-in closet.   
“What the fuck happened to ‘in sickness and in health’, Hillary?” Scott loudly exclaimed. “I’m sick!”   
“No, you have a _choice_ not to be sick!” Hillary argued. “I have a choice, too, and I’m getting the hell out of here.”   
She started walking down the hallway to go get Cassandra from the nursery.   
“Hillary, no!” Scott begged, running after Hillary.   
“Leave me alone, Scott!” Hillary yelled. “We have a daughter who you obviously care nothing about and I’m not raising her like this! So enjoy your drugs, I guess.”   
“I’m going to stop! I’m going to rehab!” Scott pleaded.   
“Then call me when you get your life together,” Hillary said with a sad sigh. “Because I can’t live like this.”   
“Hillary, I love you,” Scott begged in a desperate tone of voice. “ _Please_ don’t leave me.”   
“Clearly you didn’t love me enough to not do drugs,” Hillary said, her voice cracking.   
“Yes, I’m a drug addict, Hillary,” Scott finally admitted. “But I’m going to get help for it. And I need _you_ to help _me_!”   
“You aren’t even trying to help yourself!” Hillary pointed out in an exasperated tone.   
“I’m going to rehab!” Scott argued. “We can leave right now. Hill, please! I’m trying here. My bags are packed. I swear, I just wanted to get high one last time before checking in to rehab.”   
“Fine,” Hillary said with clenched fists and gritted teeth. “Go downstairs and get in the car. _Now_.”   
  


* * * * *

“Where are you going?” Scott asked as he realized Hillary was driving in the direction of Jessica’s house.   
“I’m dropping her off with Jessica,” Hillary explained, gesturing with her head to Cassandra who was sleeping soundly in her car seat in the backseat.   
“No,” Scott shook his head. “I want a proper goodbye.”   
“Fine.” Hillary sighed. She would do whatever it took to get Scott to actually check into rehab.   
“Thank you,” Scott quietly said, turning on the car radio. 

* * * * * 

They made the almost two hour drive to the rehab center in Long Island, New York in near silence, with the exception of the car radio playing music and the occasional coo or cry from Cassandra in the back. Hillary was silently fuming mad for most of the drive.   
“We’re here,” Hillary said as she pulled into a parking spot outside.   
Scott nodded and went to grab his luggage from the trunk while Hillary unbuckled Cassandra's car seat.   
  
“This is nice,” Hillary mused out loud as they entered the lobby of the upscale rehab facility where Scott would be staying for the next thirty days.   
Scott just sighed as they approached the front desk.   
“I’m checking in Scott Graham,” Hillary said with an annoyed sigh to the drug rehab technician working at the desk. “I think you’ve been expecting us.”   
The blonde fortysomething technician nodded and grabbed a clipboard filled with paperwork. She thrust the clipboard out towards Scott. “Fill out these forms and then I’ll take you to Group. It starts in fifteen minutes.”   
Hillary reached for the clipboard but the technician pulled it away and tried giving it to Scott. “He needs to check _himself_ in, Mrs. Graham,” the tech said in a flat but pointed voice.   
“Oh, of course.” Hillary nodded as Scott took the forms with a huff and walked over to a nearby couch to go fill them in.   
“Time to say goodbye, Mrs. Graham. He needs to take it from here by himself,” the tech said.   
Hillary nodded and sat down beside Scott to say her goodbyes.   
“And I need your cell phone, Mr. Graham,” the tech said. “You’ll get it back at the end of the thirty days.”   
Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Why?”   
“It’s policy, Mr. Graham.” She held out her hand expectantly.   
Scott got up with a huff and handed it over. He rolled his eyes as he sat back down to finish filling out the appropriate paperwork.   
“It’s time to say goodbye,” the technician repeated. “Your family can come visit you next week. Visiting hours are on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons.”   
Scott sadly looked down at Cassandra as Hillary passed her over, so that Scott could say goodbye.   
“I am _so_ sorry I’ve done this and messed up our family,” Scott apologized to Hillary with a forlorn look on his face.   
“Just get better,” Hillary softly said, holding back her tears.   
Scott nodded. “You’ll come visit?”   
“Of course.” Hillary nodded.   
Scott nodded in return. “I love you, guys.”   
“We love you, too,” Hillary shortly said, not quite meaning it.   
Scott sadly sighed and tenderly kissed Cassandra’s forehead. “Bye bye, baby girl.”   
“We’ll see you soon,” Hillary promised but it was more for Cassandra’s sake than her own.   
“Let’s get you situated in your room, Mr. Graham, before group therapy starts,” the rehab technician at the desk gently suggested. “We have to do your bag check.”   
Scott nodded, knowing the drill from the first time he was in rehab.   
“Bye,” he sadly said to Hillary as he put Cassandra back in her car seat. “I love you two _so_ much.”   
“We love you, too,” Hillary repeated, trying to hold her tears back. Not because she was sad to be away from Scott for a month but more so because she felt bad that Scott and Cassandra would be apart for the next thirty days. She had no idea how she could have let things get _so_ far gone with Scott but she also knew that Scott had basically done this to himself.   
Hillary leaned in and gently pecked Scott’s lips. She stared at him tenderly. “Go,” she urged, looking at the rehab tech out of the corner of her eye who was standing there, waiting for Scott expectantly.   
Scott nodded and got up from the couch to follow the rehab tech to his room.   
  


* * * * *

Hillary buckled Cassandra back into her car seat and got into the driver’s seat of her car with a heavy sigh. She had the whole rest of the day ahead of her—hell, the whole month seeing as she was on maternity leave — and she didn’t know what she wanted to do besides pick up her kids from Jessica’s house. She decided she would get a coffee and then go pick up the kids. Before pulling out of the rehab center’s parking lot, she grabbed her cell phone and called Jessica to see if she wanted anything from Starbucks.   
“Hey!” Jessica answered after a few rings.   
“Hi, sweetie,” Hillary replied in a quiet voice. “I just dropped Scott off at rehab.”   
“Oh.” Jessica sighed. “I’m sorry, Mom.”   
“It’s okay,” Hillary responded with a sigh of her own. “I’m gonna go to Starbucks before heading over to your place to pick up the kids. Do you or Chelsea want anything?”   
“Want me to meet you there?” Jessica offered, wanting to take her mom’s mind off of the events of the last twenty-four hours. “I’m not doing much right now. My class was cancelled and I got someone to take my shift at work so that I could spend some time with Sophia.”   
“Oh, sure,” Hillary said. “Give me an hour and a half, give or take. Depending on the traffic.”   
  


* * * * * 

When she walked inside their local neighborhood Starbucks a while later, Jessica was already there with Sophia and they were waiting for Hillary at a table.   
“Hi!” Jessica greeted with a smile as Hillary came over. “I already got you a vanilla latte.”   
“Thank you, honey,” Hillary said gratefully. She quickly pecked the top of Jessica’s head before she sat down across from her daughter and granddaughter.   
“Are you okay?” Jessica gently asked her, with a weak smile before she took a sip of her iced coffee.   
Hillary shrugged and sighed. “I mean, I’m sad. But I’ll be okay eventually."   
Jessica nodded, knowing how strong a person her mother was. “How long is he going to be in rehab for?” she asked curiously.   
“A month,” Hillary answered, causing Jessica to nod understandingly.   
“And I don’t want to be alone in that big, lonely house,” Hillary admitted. “I mean, I know I have Chelsea and Hayley and Cassandra but...you know what I mean.”   
Jessica nodded again.   
“Do you want to move back in with me this month?” Hillary offered. “I won’t use you as a babysitter this time. I promise.”   
Jessica nodded, happy for the chance to be able to reconnect and make things right with her mother. “Sure. I’d like that.” She softly smiled at her mom and brushed away a stray piece of long blonde hair that had fallen in front of her face.   
Hillary nodded and gently smiled herself, glad that she would at least have her daughters by her side while Scott was in rehab.   
Sophia suddenly excitedly cooed and pointed at Cassandra’s car seat.   
Jessica chuckled. “That’s your auntie.”   
“God, our family is _so_ weird,” Hillary suddenly realized, chuckling as she realized her newborn daughter and her three year old daughter technically _were_ aunts to her almost one year old granddaughter.   
“Tell me about it!” Jessica laughed in agreement, also making this realization.   
Hillary laughed and took a sip of her latte, finally truly relaxing for the first time in days.   
“How are Hayley and Chelsea?” Hillary asked.   
“They’re great,” Jessica answered. “Chelsea’s a little shaken and worried about you after last night but she’ll be okay.”   
Hillary nodded, feeling guilty even though she knew Scott’s behavior wasn’t her fault.   
“They miss you,” Jessica added.   
“I miss them.” Hillary sadly sighed.   
“Well, they can come home with you today.” Jessica softly smiled.   
Hillary nodded.   
“I am _so_ sorry about Scott, Mom,” Jessica suddenly said.   
Hillary shrugged. “It’s not your fault. And he’ll get better. Hopefully.”   
Jessica nodded and sipped her coffee.   
“And hey, look on the bright side,” Hillary said with a weak smile. “Now I can spend more time with you and your sisters, and Sophia.” She smiled at her granddaughter who was happily munching on some dry cheerios.   
Jessica nodded. “That sounds _really_ nice actually.”   
“She’s getting so big,” Hillary marvelled, staring at Sophia.   
“God, I know,” Jessica agreed. “I can’t believe she’s already almost one.”   
“Time flies,” Hillary remarked, remembering when Jessica was that small and now her oldest daughter had a one year old of her own.   
“I just wish she would sleep through the night,” Jessica chuckled.   
“She still isn’t?” Hillary questioned.   
Jessica shook her head. “And I hate hearing her cry at night so sleep training never works.” Jessica sighed.   
“I know but it will help her—and you— in the long run.”   
Jessica sighed and nodded, knowing her mother was right.   
“You never slept at that age either,” Hillary teased.   
“Sorry,” Jessica chuckled, figuring this was payback.   
Hillary chuckled as Cassandra suddenly started getting fussy. She scooped her up from her car seat and gently rocked her. “You must be hungry, baby girl,” Hillary cooed.   
“Here,” Jessica said, passing Hillary Sophia’s blanket so that Hillary could cover herself up to breastfeed Cassandra.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said, taking the blanket and covering herself appropriately before she got Cassandra to latch on.   
“There you go, baby girl,” Hillary quietly murmured. “That’s better, isn’t it?”   
“Mama!” Sophia happily cooed, clapping her hands and staring up at Jessica.   
That’s right! I’m your mama.” Jessica gave Sophia a proud grin, never getting tired of that sound.   
“When did she start saying Mama?” Hillary asked with a smile.   
Jessica shrugged. “A couple of days ago.”   
“Aww.” Hillary softly smiled at her daughter and granddaughter.   
“She’s so smart,” Jessica marvelled with a proud smile.   
“She really does look just like you, Jess,” Hillary complimented.   
Jessica grinned at the compliment.   
“I’m so mad at Scott.” Hillary suddenly changed the subject, shaking her head angrily.   
“He couldn’t help it, Mom.” Jessica sighed.   
“That’s B.S. and you know it, Jess,” Hillary retorted with an annoyed sigh. “Don’t give me that ‘it’s a disease’ crap. He’d been clean for _years._ ”   
“And relapses happen,” Jessica matter of factly pointed out.   
Hillary harshly sighed again. “I know. It still pisses me off that he did this to us though. It’s like he wasn’t even thinking about me or his daughter.”   
Jessica nodded and bit her lip before she made an admission. “I noticed that Bill seemed to be getting friendly with my next door neighbor.”   
“Oh, okay.” Hillary said with a small sigh as she sipped her coffee. She was disappointed to hear that but she knew that Bill had a right to be with other people since they were no longer together and she was technically still with Scott. “And how old is she?” She asked Jessica with a raised right eyebrow.   
“Around your age. Maybe a little older,” Jessica chuckled.   
Hillary just nodded.   
“I don’t know her that well. She just moved in a few weeks ago. She’s a divorcee who lives with her daughter who’s around my age. Her name’s Jane,” Jessica explained.   
Hillary nodded again. “Well, that’s nice I guess. Good for him, I suppose.”   
Jessica nodded. “Her daughter is a fitness trainer and teaches aerobics at the local gym. I need to check out one of her classes some time.”   
Hillary nodded mindlessly.   
“And don’t forget to sign Hayley up for ballet,” Jessica reminded her mother.   
Hillary nodded again. “Right.”   
Jessica suddenly yawned. “God, I’m exhausted.”   
Hillary frowned as she noticed the dark circles under her daughter's eyes. “I’m sorry, honey. Do you want to go home and take a nap?”   
“That sounds really good actually.” Jessica nodded and sipped her iced coffee.   
Hillary nodded. “I’ll bring Sophia home with me. And then you can come over to pick her up any time you'd like later today. Whenever you’re up for it.”   
“Oh my God, you’re a lifesaver, Mom.” Jessica gave her mother a grateful smile.   
“Well, what are mothers for?” Hillary softly smiled at her eldest daughter.   
  


* * * * * 

When she arrived home a while later, Hillary sighed sadly upon entering her large empty house before she distracted herself by getting Cassandra and Sophia settled. She put Cassandra in her bassinet in the living room and set Sophia down on the living room floor to play. As soon as Cassandra had fallen asleep and Hillary had been playing with Sophia for a while, the phone suddenly rang.   
“Hello?” Hillary answered, after she had pulled herself up from the floor and grabbed the ringing phone from its cradle on an end table.   
“Hey,” Bill drawled on the other end.   
“Oh. Hi,” Hillary replied, surprised to hear from him.   
“Do you want me to drop off Hayley and Chelsea now?” Bill asked. “They’re asking for you.”   
“Yes, please,” Hillary answered quietly. She swallowed and sighed. “I miss them.”   
“Okay. They miss you, too,” Bill replied. “See you in a few minutes.”   
“Okay, thanks,” Hillary said before she hung up and went back to playing with Sophia. 

* * * * * *

Upon hearing the doorbell ring a few minutes later, Hillary scooped up Sophia and went to answer it before the noise could disturb Cassandra.   
“Coming!” She called out, figuring it was Bill with the kids.   
“Mom!” Chelsea flung her arms around Hillary as soon as Hillary had opened the door.   
“Hey, sweetie.” Hillary smiled tenderly as she wrapped her free arm that wasn’t holding Sophia around Chelsea’s waist.   
Chelsea squeezed her mom tightly before she pulled away from the embrace and went inside with Hayley.   
“Do you want to come in, Bill?” Hillary offered politely.   
Bill shrugged, not having anywhere else to go or be. “Sure. If you don’t mind.”   
Hillary nodded. “Please. Come in. Thanks for dropping the girls off. ”   
Bill nodded. “ It was no trouble,” he said as he followed Hillary inside, taking in the grand and imposing house as he looked around his surroundings while Hillary led him towards the living room. They had lived in the Governor’s Mansion in Arkansas when he was Governor but this house was even larger and more decadent than the Governor’s Mansion had been.   
Hillary quickly brought Sophia to the playroom so she could play with Hayley while Chelsea supervised before Hillary re-joined Bill in the living room.   
“Do you want a coffee or anything?” She offered, taking a seat on the couch beside him.   
Bill shook his head. “No thank you. I’m all caffeined out for the day.” He chuckled.   
Hillary nodded.   
Bill sighed. “I’m sorry about Scott.”   
Hillary shrugged. “It’s not your fault.”   
“How are you doing by the way?” He asked her, staring at Hillary tenderly as the events of the previous night flashed through his mind.   
Hillary shrugged. “Truth be told? I feel like crap.” She bitterly laughed.   
Bill frowned. “I’m sorry.”   
“I’m exhausted,” Hillary admitted with a sigh. “I haven’t slept properly since Cassandra was born.”   
“I’ll watch the kids for a few hours if you want to get some sleep, Hill,” Bill sincerely offered, knowing how exhausted she must be, especially after the events of the last few hours.   
Hillary shook her head. “I’m fine. You should go now.”   
“Why can’t we try being friends, Hillary?” Bill gently asked.   
“Because I miss being with you,” Hillary admitted in a sad whisper. She stared sadly at him. “Besides, Jessica told me you had something going on with her neighbor.”   
Bill chuckled and rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. “Boy, Jess sure does love to gossip sometimes, doesn’t she?” He chuckled again. “We were just chatting, Hillary. I swear. It was just neighborly small talk while I was taking the trash out for Jess. Jane wanted me to see if Jess would be interested in signing up for her daughter’s aerobics classes. She was just trying to help her daughter out. That’s all it was. I swear. I don’t even know the woman.”   
Hillary nodded, accepting Bill’s explanation. She knew he was a charismatic and charming guy who loved to make small talk with every individual he encountered, whether it was the mailman or a neighbor so his explanation made sense. She trusted nothing was going on with his neighbor but if he wanted something to happen he was free to do so seeing as he was single again.   
“But I’ll try not to bother you anymore if that’s what you want,” Bill acquiesced. “I’ll leave you alone from now on.”   
“You aren’t bothering me,” Hillary quietly said. “You can stay and hang out for a few hours if you’d like. This house is _way_ too big. I get lonely without Scott around.”   
Bill nodded. “Sure, I’ll stay if that’s what you want. I can help you with the kids.”   
Hillary nodded. “Thank you. Is Jess okay?”   
“Oh yeah,” Bill answered. “She was just heading to her room for a nap when I left. Poor girl, she’s exhausted.”   
Hillary nodded sadly and frowned, feeling guilty for not helping her daughter out more the past few months. “I know.”   
“Well, I’m here now to help her out,” Bill assured Hillary with a kind smile.   
Hillary nodded, grateful that Bill was moving to Connecticut. “I’m going to do a better job of helping her out from now on, too. She’s moving back in with me this month to keep me company while Scott’s in rehab.”   
Bill nodded. “That’s good.” He knew the two of them needed to re-connect.   
Hillary suddenly stared at Bill tenderly before she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Bill's shoulders. “You’re right, Bill. We _should_ be friends. We owe each other at least that. Don’t we?”   
Bill nodded in agreement and wrapped his arms around Hillary’s tiny waist in return. He tightly squeezed her. “Yeah. Eighteen years of marriage shouldn’t have ended the way it did.”   
Hillary nodded as she relaxed into the embrace, feeling truly safe, content, and relaxed for the first time in days, weeks, hell, even months. She looked at Bill softly as she pulled away from his embrace and she nodded slightly again. “Okay.” She gave Bill a watery smile, as she started to tear up in relief. “I’ve missed you a lot, Bill.”   
“I missed you, too,” Bill admitted. “You have no idea. I’m glad you’re happy though.”   
Hillary tried forcing a smile but she had to choke back a sob instead.   
“Hillary?” Bill frowned slightly and gave her a concerned look.   
Hillary looked down, too ashamed to look Bill in the eye.   
“You can talk to me, Hillary,” Bill gently encouraged, squeezing her hand reassuringly.   
“I’m not happy,” Hillary admitted, still looking down, finally admitting it out loud for the first time. “Scott’s given me everything I could ever ask for and apparently that’s still not enough for me. Because he’s not _you_.” She finished as tears freely rolled down her cheeks.   
“Oh, Hillary.” Bill sighed sadly and gently stroked his ex-wife’s hair. “Please leave him, baby.”   
“I want to but I’m scared,” Hillary admitted in a quiet voice. “We have a baby together.”   
“And we have three babies and a grandchild,” Bill countered.   
“I know, Bill.” Hillary sighed. “But you know what he’s like when he’s mad. He isn’t going to just let me leave him. And I would feel _so_ guilty.” She put her head in her hands and quietly cried.   
“You can’t go the rest of your life being unhappy, Hillary,” Bill said softly, reaching over and gently rubbing Hillary’s back.   
“Well…” Hillary said, as she sat back up and looked Bill straight in the eye. She wiped away her tears with the backs of her hands before she finally made the statement that would change everything. “Well, Bill. That’s why we’re going to have an affair.”   
  


To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehehe 
> 
> ;) :) :) :)


	27. Escape

Bill looked at Hillary, the shock written all over his face as he processed what she had just said.  
“Are you serious , Hillary?”   
Hillary simply shrugged. “Scott’s in rehab right now and I know you want to.”  
“No, Hillary.” Bill shook his head. “This isn’t like you.”  
Hillary scooted closer to Bill on the couch and gently rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m not in love with him. It isn’t fair to either of us. I deserve to be happy. You said so yourself.”  
“Then leave him, Hillary,” Bill softly said, leaning down and gently kissing the top of Hillary’s head. “You _can_ be happy again. I know it.”  
“I’m not leaving him.” Hillary shook her head. “He would be _crushed_ and we have a baby together.”  
Bill sadly sighed and looked down at his hands. “I love you, Hillary.”  
“And I love you,” Hillary affirmed. “So let’s have an affair.” The words came out simply and easily.  
“I know this isn’t an ideal situation but I want you, Bill,” she continued. “I wish there was another way. I’m just _so_ scared to leave Scott right now. So please, let’s just do it this way for now.”  
“It’s not right, Hillary.” Bill shook his head, not wanting Hillary to make the same mistakes he had made in the past. “I know how strongly you feel about cheating, Hill. I’m afraid you’d end up resenting me.”  
“Well, I’m terrified of coming back to you just to have you leave me again,” Hillary admitted in a shaky voice, trying to hold back her tears.  
Bill shook his head again. “No, we can’t do this. We can’t have an affair. I’m sorry, Hillary.”  
Hillary nodded as she teared up. “I should have known. God, I’m such an idiot.” She shook her head to herself. “Um, you should go home now.”  
“Hillary, no.” Bill reached for Hillary’s hand and gently squeezed it. “I do want to be with you, Hill. _So_ much. God, you have no idea how badly I want to be with you!” He teared up.  
“Then please do this for me,” Hillary quietly pleaded, the desperation evident in her eyes.  
“Are you sure this is what you want, Hillary?” Bill checked with a sad sigh.  
Hillary nodded. “Yes. I miss you _so_ much, Bill. Scott has changed _so_ much since we got married and he definitely doesn’t compare to you.” She sniffled and brushed away her tears. “I don’t love him. He doesn’t know _me_. Hell, he doesn’t even want me to be _me_.”  
“I understand where you're coming from, Hillary. Believe me, I do. But this isn't the way to do this,” Bill said quietly.  
“Fine.” Hillary turned away from Bill so that he couldn’t see her crying. She sucked in a breath. “Just forget I ever said anything, Bill.” She sadly nodded and choked back a sob. “I need to feed Cassandra so please leave.”  
“Hillary, I’m in love with you. You know that. _Please_ leave him for _me_ ,” Bill said desperately. He desperately wanted to be with Hillary again but not under these circumstances.  
“I’m not leaving him, Bill,” Hillary shook her head and turned to look at him again.  
“Well,you obviously don’t want to be with me then.” Bill shrugged.  
“I do!” Hillary insisted. “I _so badly_ want to be with you again.”  
“Then _please_ think about leaving him for good,” Bill whispered, wrapping his arms around Hillary’s waist from behind.  
Hillary shook her head. “Get out of my house, Bill.”  
Bill reached over to wipe away Hillary’s tears. “You want to have an affair with me but you won’t leave Scott?” He frowned in confusion, his brow furrowing.   
“He would never have to find out about the affair,” Hillary insisted. “I just couldn’t live with myself if I broke his heart.” She looked down. “So just consider it, Bill. Please. I can’t leave him. Not right now anyways. Cassandra is his whole world.”  
“And you don’t think you’re _my_ world?” Bill countered.  
“You’re always going to be the love of my life, Bill,” Hillary softly said, as she looked down. She was too ashamed to be able to look Bill in the eye.  
“Well, I don’t want just _some_ of you, Hillary,” Bill argued. “I want _all_ of you. I don’t want to share you with another man.”  
Hillary nodded and sniffled. “Okay then. That’s that then. I guess I’ll see you later, Bill.”   
“I’ll think about it,” Bill finally conceded, hating to see Hillary so upset.   
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”  
Bill nodded. “I’ll see you later.”  
“Bye,” Hillary choked out as Bill stood up from the couch.  
Hillary started quietly crying to herself as she scooped up Cassandra from her bassinet and held the baby closely against her chest.  
Bill hesitated before he shook his head to himself and walked away.  
  


As Hillary stared down at Cassandra, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.  
“Did Bill drop Chelsea and Hayley off?” Jessica suddenly asked, as she walked into the living room. “I just saw him leaving.”  
Hillary quickly sniffled and tried to stop crying, not expecting to see Jessica. She put Cassandra down and quickly brushed her tears away. “Yep. He just brought them over.”  
Jessica nodded and looked at her mom quizzically, being able to tell that her mom had been crying. “Are you okay, mom?”  
Hillary nodded and faked a smile. “Of course!”  
Jessica nodded, still not convinced but she shrugged. “Okay, well, I’ll take Sophia home then.”  
Hillary nodded. “She’s playing with Chelsea and Hayley in the playroom.”  
Jessica nodded again and walked a few feet down the hallway to where Hayley’s playroom was set up.  
  


“Hey,” Chelsea greeted, looking up as she saw her older sister enter the room. She grinned down at Sophia with wide, excited eyes. “Look, Soph. There’s your mommy!”  
“Hi,” Jessica said, taking a seat on the floor with her sisters and her daughter. She grinned down at Sophia as Sophia excitedly cooed and squealed, happy to see her mother.  
"Hi, Princess!" Jessica softly smiled at her daughter.   
“What was going on with Mom and Dad?” Chelsea asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow.  
Jessica shrugged. “I don’t know. I just got here.”  
“I bet they’re getting back together,” Chelsea suddenly said.  
“Why do you say that?” Jessica asked, accepting the toy that Sophia was trying to hand to her to play with.  
“I don’t know.” Chelsea shrugged and frowned. She sadly sighed. “They used to be so happy, Jess.”  
“I know.” Jessica sadly sighed in return.  
“And now I don’t know what’s going to happen between her and Scott,” Chelsea said, remembering the events of the previous night.  
Jessica just shrugged, also not knowing whether her mother was going to choose to stay with Scott or not after everything that had happened the last couple of days. Obviously she wished her mother would leave Scott but at the end of the day, it wasn’t her decision to make.  
“Anyways, be nice to Mom today,” Jessica finally said. “She’s in a weird mood, I think. Understandably."  
Chelsea nodded understandingly. “Okay.”  
“Let’s go home, baby girl,” Jessica cooed to Sophia, standing up and scooping up Sophia.  
“Bye, Jessie,” Hayley said, as Jessica got Sophia situated comfortably against her hip.  
“Bye, Hayley. Bye, Chels,” Jessica said. She waved goodbye to her sisters and left the playroom.  
  


“Why don’t you stay here a little while longer?” Hillary suddenly asked as Jessica came back to the living room. She didn’t want to be left alone in that big empty house with her thoughts.  
“Okay.” Jessica shrugged and nodded. She put Sophia down and took a seat on the couch beside her mother. “What’s going on?” She frowned worriedly.  
“Nothing,” Hillary lied. “I just don’t want to be alone.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly.  
“How are you feeling now?” Hillary checked.  
“ _So much_ better after my nap,” Jessica answered with a smile. “I needed a good nap.”  
“Well, I’m glad you got one then.” Hillary nodded.  
“You look like you need one, too,” Jessica commented, noticing the dark circles underneath her mother’s eyes.  
Hillary shrugged. “I’m okay,” she lied, putting on a brave front for her daughter.  
“Go lay down for a bit, mom,” Jessica urged.  
Hillary shook her head. “No.”  
" _Yes_ ," Jessica countered. “You’re under a lot of stress right now, Mom.”  
“I’m fine,” Hillary insisted. “Really.”  
Jessica shook her head. “Seriously, Mom. Go get some sleep. I’ll watch Cassandra.”  
Hillary sighed, not liking being told what to do. Especially from her own daughter.  
“ _Go_ ,” Jessica urged. “Either go take a nap or tell me why you’re upset.”  
Hillary frowned and her brow furrowed. “I’ll guess I’ll go lay down then.”  
Jessica sadly sighed and frowned. “You used to be able to tell me everything, Mom.”  
“I’m just too emotional to talk right now,” Hillary quietly admitted, looking lost in thought.  
Jessica nodded slowly, understandingly. “Okay, mom,” she said in a hushed tone. “Just go on up to bed then.”  
  


* * * * *  
  


Not being able to bear being in the Master bedroom she once shared with Scott, Hillary settled for laying down in one of her home’s many guest rooms. As she crawled into bed and underneath the soft and inviting covers, she stared up at the beige painted ceiling, not being able to calm her thoughts and fall asleep. She kept replaying everything that had happened over the past couple of days between her, Bill and, Scott. 

She must have drifted off eventually because when she woke up, it was already the early evening. Feeling more refreshed after her nap, she went downstairs and found Jessica playing with Hayley in the living room.  
“Hi,” she quietly said as she entered the room and stared at the two girls.  
“Hey,” Jessica smiled in return as her mother curled up on the couch. “I was about to make a cup of tea. Do you want one?”  
Hillary nodded and softly smiled. “Sure, that sounds nice, honey. Thank you.”  
“No problem,” Jessica quietly said as she got up off the floor and headed towards the kitchen.  
As Hayley crawled up onto the couch and crawled into Hillary’s lap, Hillary turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels.  
“Hi, mama,” Hayley quietly said, nuzzling into Hillary’s chest.  
“Hi, sweetheart,” Hillary said, reassuringly rubbing Hayley’s back as she settled on watching CNN.  
“Baby?” Hayley asked.  
“Cassandra is sleeping,” Jessica said, as she came back to the living room with her and Hillary’s tea.  
“Aww, I want to hold the baby!” Hayley whined. “What about Sophia?”  
“Sophia’s napping too,” Jessica chuckled as she handed Hillary a steaming mug of peppermint tea. “I need to go home and get some of mine and Sophia’s stuff if we’re going to be staying with you the next few weeks.”  
“Go ahead,” Hillary urged. “I’ll watch Sophie if she wakes up.”  
“Thanks,” Jessica nodded as she grabbed her purse from where she had left it on an armchair in the living room earlier. “Be right back.”  
Hillary nodded and watched as Jessica walked away.  
As Hayley jumped off the couch and went back to playing with her Barbies, Hillary got up and scooped up a now awake Sophia from her playpen. As she brought Sophia back with her over to the couch, she peered down into Cassandra’s bassinet. She frowned as the newborn woke up and started fussing. She sighed and scooped the baby up. As she got Cassandra nestled comfortably in her arms and the infant started to calm down, Sophia crawled into Hillary’s lap and snuggled up to Hillary.  
“Mama, hold me, too!” Hayley said, running over to Hillary.  
“I can’t hold all three of you.” Hillary sighed, realizing she only had two arms after all.  
“Mama!” Hayley whined, tearing up.  
Hillary sighed again. “Hey, come on. Be a big girl for Mama, okay? You can come sit beside Mama.” She gently patted the spot on the couch right next to her.  
Hayley crawled up onto the couch and snuggled into Hillary’s side.  
“See?” Hillary weakly smiled. “That’s better, right?”  
Hayley sniffed and shook her head. “No. No baby.”  
“Hey, your baby sister loves you,” Hillary gently said, knowing that Hayley was struggling a bit with no longer being the youngest. “You have to share Mommy.”  
“No.” Hayley shook her head. “No baby and no Scott. Just Mama and Daddy and Hayley.”  
Hillary heartily chuckled as Hayley continued rambling.  
“I love Mama and Daddy!” Hayley announced.  
“Well, what if it was me, you, Daddy, and Cassandra?” Hillary carefully asked, nervously biting her lip wondering what Hayley’s response would be.  
“Yeah!” Hayley eagerly nodded.  
“And what about Jessica and Chelsea, and Sophia, too?” Hillary gently continued.  
“Oh yeah!” Hayley squealed and eagerly nodded again.  
Hillary softly smiled to herself as Hayley wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck.  
Jessica suddenly stormed into the house, a confused and frantic expression on her face.  
“What is it, honey?” Hillary asked her eldest daughter with a frown, not liking the look on her daughter's face.   
“Mom! I don’t know why he texted me of all people but Scott checked himself out of rehab!” Jessica frantically said, taking a seat on the couch on the other side of Hillary. She passed Hillary her phone so that her mother could read the text Scott had just sent her.  
Hillary frowned and her brow furrowed in confusion and concern as she read the drunk and confusing, jumbled typo-riddled message Scott had sent Jessica, saying he had checked himself out of rehab and was going to a bar instead.  
“But he hasn’t even been there for twenty-four hours!” Hillary angrily exclaimed, furiously shaking her head, disgusted with her husband’s actions.  
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Jessica quietly said, also sadly shaking her head.  
“I can’t believe this!” Hillary exclaimed as she grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle on the end table and furiously dialed her husband’s cell phone number.  
“Hey, baby doll,” Scott slurred his words after he answered after the first couple of rings. He was obviously drunk or high or both.  
“Scott! What the hell are you doing?” Hillary exclaimed.  
“I’m just having a drink, baby,” Scott slurred. “I missed you and Cassandra too much to stay at that stupid rehab.”  
“Scott, you need to go back to rehab,” Hillary firmly ordered.  
“Umm, no,” Scott said, sounding like a defiant teenager. “I’m having fun,” he added as Hillary heard what sounded like women giggling and flirting with Scott in the background.  
“Fine, have your fun,” Hillary said, over the entire situation by now. “I’m going to call a divorce attorney in the morning.”  
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Scott hissed through the phone in a threatening tone.  
“Yes,” Hillary said, nodding to herself as she realized that it had finally come to that. She had no other choice. “Enjoy your life!” She spat before she angrily hung up.  
  


“Oh God,” she moaned to herself after she put the phone back in its cradle, putting her head in her hands, not believing what her marriage had come to.  
“It’s okay, Mom,” Jessica soothed, wrapping her arms around Hillary. She gently and reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s back.  
“I want Bill!” Hillary realized, tearing up. “God I’m so stupid! I should have gone back to your place with Bill!”  
“What about Scott?” Jessica gently asked, biting her lip. She knew her mother wasn’t really in love with Scott but she also knew that for some reason, her mother insisted that she was.  
“I don’t love him!” Hillary cried, admitting it out loud for the first time. “I really don’t!” She sobbed.  
“Okay, shhhh,” Jessica soothed, continuing to gently and soothingly rub her mom’s back.  
Hillary sniffed and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. “Can you watch the kids? I need to pack our bags. We’re getting the hell out of here.”  
  


* * * * *

After she had told Chelsea to pack an overnight bag, and Jessica had gone upstairs to help with packing Hayley’s overnight bag, Hillary had gotten to work packing up her and Cassandra’s stuff. She was in the middle of packing her clothes when Scott stormed into the house and straight upstairs to the master bedroom.  
“Hillary, wait!” Scott angrily begged, as he sauntered into the room and realized that Hillary was packing her bags.  
“Get away from me!” Hillary yelled, raising her right index finger and pointing it at Scott, defensively.  
“Baby, I’m really high right now,” Scott admitted. “Can we talk about this when I’ve sobered up?”  
“ _You_ can talk to my lawyer later,” Hillary ordered as she got back to her packing. “Because I’m fucking _done_ talking.”  
“Baby, please,” Scott begged, taking a few steps closer to Hillary. “I’ll stop. I won’t ever touch a drug again. I won’t even take a motherfucking aspirin.”  
“It doesn’t matter.” Hillary shrugged. “I don’t care,” she said as she zipped up her suitcase.  
“Why don’t you fucking love me anymore, Hillary?” Scott asked in a pleading tone.  
“Because I just don’t!” Hillary yelled, wishing that Scott would just leave.  
“Fine.” Scott nodded slightly. “Go, then.”  
“You know something, Scott? I would have stayed with you despite everything. Except you chose drugs over me and your daughter. So I’m done!” Hillary spat.  
“Hillary, can we please just talk about this first?” Scott begged, with pleading eyes.  
“I just need some time, Scott,” Hillary said in a much calmer tone. “I’m not saying we should get a divorce but we _do_ need some time apart.”  
“Well, where are you going to go?” Scott asked, reaching out for Hillary’s hand.  
“I don’t know yet,” Hillary admitted, swatting away her husband’s hand. “Maybe Chicago.”  
“The hell you are!” Scott suddenly yelled, his demeanor changing.  
“Fine. Then I’ll go to a hotel in town,” Hillary tried, not wanting to piss off Scott.  
“You aren't going fucking anywhere,” Scott suddenly threatned, grabbing Hillary’s wrists.  
“Scott, let me go,” Hillary said, trying to shake her hands free of Scott’s tight grasp.   
“Say you won’t leave me!” Scott ordered.  
“Scott, you’re drunk and high,” Hillary harshly sighed. “I’m not staying here when you’re like this and I’m _definitely_ not letting Cassandra stay here with you.”  
“Fucking say it!” Scott screamed, getting up in Hillary’s face.  
“Okay....I’m not going to leave,” Hillary relented, not wanting to set Scott off further in the state he was currently in.  
“Mom!” Chelsea ran into the bedroom, seeing Scott standing over Hillary in a threatening manner with his hands squeezing her wrists. She had heard the yelling and wanted to make sure her mother was okay.  
“Hey, Chelsea. I’m okay,” Hillary said and nervously swallowed, wishing her daughter didn’t have to see her this way. “You and your sister and Sophia need to leave right now with Jessica, okay?”  
“No, we're not leaving you alone with him,” Chelsea firmly said.  
“Just go, Chelsea,” Hillary firmly said and watched as Chelsea reluctantly left the room.  
Having been momentarily distracted by Chelsea’s arrival, Scott had let go of Hillary’s wrists.  
“I need to go talk to Jessica.” While Scott was still distracted and confused from the cocaine, Hillary quickly ran downstairs.  
  


“What the fuck is going on, Mom?” Jessica loudly exclaimed as Hillary found her in the kitchen. “Chelsea is freaking out.” Jessica looked down. “And your wrists are red again. Mom, we need to leave. _Right now._ ”  
Hillary pulled Jessica in for an embrace and then frantically whispered in her ear, “Take your sisters and Sophia back to your place. Get them out of here _now_ . I’ll meet you there once he’s passed out.”  
“Mom, I’m not leaving you,” Jessica begged, her eyes filling with tears.  
“You have to, Jess,” Hillary frantically pleaded. “ll be okay. I promise. Just please get yourself and Chelsea, and the babies out of here _now_.”  
Hillary quickly pecked Jessica’s cheek before she went back upstairs.  
  


* * * * *

“I’m going to kill that bastard.” Chelsea angrily shook her head as they loaded the babies and all their luggage into Jessica’s car.  
“Chelsea, just get in the car,” Jessica firmly ordered as she slammed the trunk of her silver Honda SUV shut.  
“No, I’m going to go give that asshole a piece of my mind!” Chelsea insisted.  
“No,” Jessica shook her head. She stood up straight to her full height, all 5’11 inches of her and squared her shoulders back. If anyone was going to take Scott in a fight, it would be Jessica, seeing as she was about the same height as him. “I will,” she said. “Watch the babies, Chels.”  
  
* * * * *

Jessica ran upstairs and upon entering the master bedroom, she saw that Scott had Hillary pinned up against the wall and that they were yelling at each other.  
“Get the _fuck_ off of her!” Jessica yelled, as she shoved Scott out of the way.  
Scott glowered at Jessica angrily. He turned to hit Jessica but Hillary jumped in front of him first.  
“Scott! You’re high! Stop it!” She frantically yelled.  
“You leave my mother alone, you son of a bitch!” Jessica yelled, stepping out from behind Hillary.  
Scott angrily scowled at the two women before he relented and sat down on the side of the bed.  
“You need to leave, sweetheart,” Hillary begged, reaching up and cupping Jessica’s cheek.  
“I’m not leaving without you.” Jessica shook her head.  
“He doesn’t know what he’s doing when he’s high,” Hillary sadly sighed. “Don’t be mad at him.”  
“Um, he is supposed to be in rehab, Mother!” Jessica angrily pointed out. “He made the _choice_ to check out and get high. And he’s hurting you! Of course I’m going to be mad at him, Mom!”  
“Well, he’s my husband, Jess.” Hillary sighed, looking defeated. “Just go downstairs to the car.”  
“No!” Jessica refused, shaking her head, not wanting to leave Hillary alone with Scott.  
“Just go, Hillary.” Scott sadly sighed. “We’ll talk later.”  
Hillary nodded and walked over to the bed. She picked up her suitcase.  
“Please don’t hate me,” Scott begged.  
“Bye,” Hillary simply said, ignoring Scott’s request before she left the room with Jessica.  
“Can we talk later?” Scott asked, following the two ladies downstairs.  
“In a few days, Scott.” Hillary sighed as they stopped in the foyer. “You should really go back to rehab,” she added quietly before she walked to the car with Jessica.  
  


* * * * * *

“Drive,” Hillary ordered Jessica after her eldest daughter had put Hillary’s bag in the trunk and Hillary had buckled herself into the passenger seat of Jessica’s SUV. She didn’t want Scott to come after them and prevent them from leaving while he still had the chance to.   
Jessica nodded as she quickly started the car, just wanting to get the hell out of there. She sped off into the night as Hillary buried her head in her hands, feeling ashamed that she had put her children and grandchild into such a dangerous situation. 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a miracle, I didn't fall asleep on the couch on a Friday night and could actually post the update on schedule for once lolololol. 
> 
> I know this was a rough and intense chapter, especially for Jessica and Hillary, but it was a necessary one so that Hillary can finally begin to reckon with herself and reflect on her behaviour over the past few days, weeks, and months. As many of you have rightfully pointed out, she needs to do in your amazing comments, and I totally agree. The reckoning/reflecting will be happening over time over the next few chapters and for the rest of the story pretty much. 
> 
> Yes, we are still stuck with Scott for a couple more chapters but I think most of you will be happy with what I have in store over the next few chapters ;) ;) I'm actually as sick of writing Scott as I'm sure you are of reading him lol. I obviously want to reunite Billary and I promise that the Billary reconciliation is coming VERY SOON but I also don't want them to rush into things and make the current situation they're in even worse. I'm sure from your comments, most of you would agree?? 
> 
> With that being said, I will try to post the next chapter soon-ish because I think it has some things in it that most of you have anxiously been waiting for ;) ;) 
> 
> I hope everybody has an amazing weekend and upcoming week! Until next time! :)


	28. Still Not Over You

“I’m so sorry,” Hillary groaned into her hands as Jessica continued driving. “I am so  _ so _ sorry,” she continued a moment later as she sadly shook her head and lifted it out of her hands as she stared out the car window. She absolutely  _ hated  _ that she had put her children into such a dangerous situation a few minutes prior.    
The silence and tension in the air was so strong that you could cut it with a knife until Jessica suddenly broke the silence a moment later. “Why do you put up with him, Mom?” the younger woman suddenly asked in a frustrated tone.    
“I honestly don’t know,” Hillary admitted, as she sadly shook her head again. “I care about him. Really, I do. I’m just not  _ in _ love with him anymore. I want him to get clean though.” She let out a shaky sigh as they arrived at Jessica’s townhouse and Jessica pulled into the driveway.    
After she grabbed her bags, Hillary marched straight into the house and upstairs to Jessica's Master Bathroom, finally fully breaking down now that she was alone. She locked the bathroom door behind her as she quickly teared up. With trembling shoulders, she quickly undressed and turned the shower on.    
  


* * * * *

After getting all of her emotions out in the privacy of the shower, Hillary felt somewhat better as she got out of the shower and began drying herself off with a fluffy white bath towel. She was feeling much more relaxed after she had been able to clear her head and calm down.    
She was in the middle of getting dressed when there was suddenly a knock on Jessica’s bedroom door.   
“Mom?”    
“Um, come in!” Hillary called, as she slipped a dark purple camisole over her head.    
“Hey, Mom,” Jessica quietly said, as she slowly opened the bedroom door.    
“Hi, Jessie,” Hillary said softly, giving her eldest daughter a tender smile as she was gently drying her damp hair off with a towel.    
“I brought Cassandra,” Jessica said. “I think she’s getting hungry.”   
“Oh, thanks,” Hillary said, as she took the newborn from Jessica. She sat down on Jessica’s bed with Cassandra in her arms.    
Jessica softly pecked her mother’s cheek before she sat down on the edge of the bed next to her mother.    
“I’m  _ so _ sorry I couldn’t set a better example for you,” Hillary apologized with a sad sigh, giving Jessica a sheepish look. She harshly sighed again. “And I’m so sorry that I put you and your sisters and Sophia in a bad situation.” She looked down, not able to look her daughter in the eye. She felt too ashamed. How had she let things get so bad in her relationship with Scott?   
“Hey.” Jessica put a reassuring hand on the small of her mother’s back. She smiled at Hillary softly. “Mom, this isn’t your fault. Okay?”   
“Oh…” Hillary shook her head and let out a chuckle of disbelief. “Oh, but  _ it _ is, Jessica.” She shook her head again. “I’m so sorry, Jessie.”   
“Mom, stop apologizing, okay?” Jessica replied, as she gently rubbed her mom’s back in a soothing manner. “You haven’t done  _ anything _ wrong. Okay?”    
Hillary teared up again and leaned against her daughter, letting herself be more vulnerable around Jessica than she would normally be around her children.    
“I’m going to make you a nice cup of tea,” Jessica suddenly announced as she continued soothingly rubbing Hillary’s back.    
“You don’t have to do that,” Hillary said, giving Jessica a grateful look nonetheless.    
“I am.” Jessica nodded. “Come downstairs to the living room with me. Chelsea and I are going to watch a movie.”    
“Is Hayley alright?” Hillary suddenly asked in a quiet voice. She worriedly bit her lip and looked down.    
“She’s kind of shaken up,” Jessica admitted with a sad sigh. “Bill’s laying down with her in his room right now to calm her down.”    
“God, I’m such a failure.” Hillary let out a harsh sigh and sadly shook her head to herself.    
“Shhh, don’t say that, Mom.” Jessica squeezed Hillary’s bicep in a reassuring manner. “This was  _ not _ your fault, Mom. Okay? Stop blaming yourself.”    
“He doesn’t know what he’s doing when he’s high,” Hillary reasoned, shaking her head again. “He didn’t mean to hurt me.”    
Jessica sighed as she stood up from the bed, not wanting to upset her mom further. “Okay, Mom.”    
“Can you take the baby?” Hillary asked. “I’ll be down in a minute.”    
Jessica nodded as she grabbed Cassandra from her mother. She squeezed Hillary’s shoulder reassuringly on her way out of the room.    
  


A few minutes later, Hillary decided to go check on Hayley to make sure that her middle daughter was doing okay after everything that had happened that evening.  
She found Bill and Hayley cuddling together in Bill's bed in the guest room while Bill tried to calm down the visibly upset three year old.   
"Hey, it's okay," Bill soothed as he reassuringly squeezed Hayley. "Mama's okay. Everything's okay now." He placed a gentle kiss on the three year old's forehead.  
Hayley frantically shook her head. "But mama's hurt!"  
"Okay, shhhh," Bill soothed as he kissed the top of Hayley's head again. He looked up and suddenly noticed Hillary standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "Oh, hey."  
"Hey," Hillary replied softly, looking down, not being able to look her ex-husband in the eye.  
"Mama!" Hayley whimpered, looking up at Hillary with wide, scared eyes.  
"Come here," Hillary said softly, reaching her arms out to her daughter and scooping her up. "Mama is fine, sweet girl. Okay?"  
"No." Hayley shook her head as Hillary held her close. "Mama's hurt!"  
"Nope." Hillary shook her head, trying to put on a brave face for her daughter. "Mama's fine, sweetheart."  
"Nuh-uh." Hayley frantically shook her head again.  
"Hayley, sweetie. I _promise_ I'm okay." Hillary forced a smile. "I'm tough." She softly smiled before she started tickling Hayley, finally eliciting a fit of giggles from the three year old.  
Bill looked over at Hillary and frowned. "You’re okay?" He checked.   
Hillary forced a smile again and nodded slightly. "Yeah. I'm good."  
"You're just saying that," Bill said in a hushed tone as he stared at Hillary softly.  
"Shut up, Bill," Hillary retorted with an icy venom in her tone. She gave Bill a pointed stare.  
"Jeez, Hillary. I was just making sure that you're okay after everything that's happened," Bill responded as he crawled out of the bed. "I didn't mean to piss you off. I was only trying to help."  
Hillary just shook her head in response.  
"I'll leave you alone then," Bill quietly said.  
"Good," Hillary bitterly said as she glared angrily at Bill.  
Bill frowned and left the room without another word as Hillary sadly sighed and gently cuddled Hayley.  
"I love you, mommy," Hayley quietly said as she clung to Hillary.  
"I love you too, my sweet girl." Hillary tenderly smiled at her daughter just as Hayley started yawning.  
Hillary sighed to herself as she gently placed Hayley back down on the bed and tucked her in. It was getting close to Hayley's bedtime and the young girl was starting to drift off to sleep.

Once Hayley was sound asleep a few minutes later, Hillary decided to join her other children downstairs. She entered the living room and quietly sat down on the couch next to Chelsea.    
“Hey, Mom,” Chelsea said, giving her mom a weak smile.    
“Hi,” Hillary quietly said before she let out a shaky breath. “I’m so sorry, Chels,” she said in a hushed tone after she had let out another exhale.    
“Hey, it’s okay, Mom,” Chelsea reassuringly whispered as she cuddled up to her mom on the couch. “We aren’t mad. It’s not  _ your _ fault at all. Okay?”    
Hillary nodded as she wrapped her arms around Chelsea and gently kissed the top of Chelsea’s head just as Jessica brought over a cup of piping hot chamomile tea for her mother.    
“Thanks,” Hillary said softly as she took the white ceramic mug from Jessica.    
“No problem,” Jessica said before she pecked her mother’s cheek.    
Hillary suddenly teared up again, feeling another wave of guilt wash over her.    
“Hey, it’s okay, Mom,” Chelsea said, reassuringly rubbing her mother’s back. “How about we watch a movie? How does that sound?”    
“I think I’m just going to go to bed,” Hillary managed to get out. As much as a movie sounded like a good distraction, she was mentally and physically exhausted.    
“Oh, okay.” Chelsea nodded understandingly as Hillary scooped up Cassandra from her bassinet.    
  


* * * * * *

After she had said goodnight to her two oldest daughters and retreated upstairs to Jessica’s bedroom, Hillary was getting comfortable in bed and Cassandra was sleeping soundly nestled on Hillary’s chest, when Hillary’s phone suddenly buzzed with a text message. She rolled her eyes to herself when she saw it was from one of her neighbors, alerting her that Scott seemed to be having some kind of wild party. She shook her head to herself and rolled her eyes again. She couldn’t be bothered to deal with Scott and his antics at that moment. She honestly didn’t care what he did anymore. In that moment, she was leaning more and more towards asking him for a divorce after everything that had happened the past few days.    
She left her phone on the nightstand and was just starting to get comfortable again and drift off to sleep when there was a knock on the bedroom door.    
“Come in,” she softly called out, not wanting to disturb Cassandra by getting up to open it.    
“Hey,” Bill said softly, poking his head into the bedroom. “I’m going to bed now. I just wanted to make sure that you or Cassandra didn’t need anything before I turn in for the night.”    
“I do need something,” Hillary began. “I need you to leave me alone. Okay?”    
Bill frowned and reluctantly nodded, wanting to give Hillary the space she needed. “Well, goodnight then.”    
“Thanks for ruining both of my marriages,” Hillary bitterly said.    
Bill harshly sighed and shook his head. “I messed up and I lost you, Hillary. And there isn’t a  _ second _ that passes by that I  _ don’t _ severely regret my actions. But  _ I  _ didn’t ruin anything between you and Scott.”    
“He knows that I’m still in love with you, Bill,” Hillary explained with a harsh sigh.    
“Well, that’s not my fault.” Bill shrugged. “I’ve tried to be respectful of your marriage even though it  _ literally _ hurts to be without you, Hill.”    
Hillary simply shook her head. “I just need you to stay away from me, Bill. Okay?”    
“But why, Hillary?” Bill gave Hillary a look of confusion and befuddlement. “I don’t get it. You  _ just _ admitted that you’re still in love with me.”    
Hillary rolled her eyes. “Because we aren’t married anymore, you ass. I’m not  _ supposed _ to have feelings for you. We’re divorced. And you’ve made it clear that you’re not interested in having an affair with me so just leave me alone.”    
Bill sighed sadly and stared at Hillary softly. “You’re scared. I get that. Especially after tonight. And I know I don’t deserve you. But I just want you to be happy, Hilly. So if you ever think that I could be the one to make you happy again, then please come find me. I’ll be waiting.”    
“Don’t call me, Hilly,” Hillary shortly said.    
Bill stared at Hillary sadly and frowned. He sadly sighed. “I miss us, Hillary.”    
“Well so do I,” Hillary finally admitted. “But apparently I wasn’t enough for you. So go away and leave me alone. I’ve had a _really_ long day and I’m absolutely exhausted.”    
Bill nodded and turned off the bedroom lights for her, respecting her wishes. “Well, goodnight then.”    
“Night,” Hillary choked out as she saw Bill’s silhouette walk away. 

  
* * * * * *

After being unable to calm her mind down enough to fall asleep, with a harsh sigh Hillary got out of bed and decided to go downstairs to get a tylenol for the headache that had been slowly building all night.    
Figuring Jessica and Chelsea were watching a movie in the basement, she found Bill pacing around the first floor of Jessica’s townhouse with a beer.    
“I thought you were going to bed,” Hillary softly said to him.    
“I can’t sleep.” Bill shrugged.    
Hillary nodded as she found the tylenol in one of the kitchen cabinets. She walked over to Bill and grabbed his beer from him, taking a big swig of it before she took two tylenols.    
“You should go to bed, Hillary,” Bill quietly urged. “You shouldn’t be drinking right now.”   
Hillary nodded and quietly sighed, knowing that Bill was right. And she was absolutely and utterly mentally and physically exhausted. “Goodnight, Bill.”    
“Night.”    
  


* * * * * *

Hillary and Cassandra had finally gotten settled back in bed, with Cassandra once again nestled comfortably on Hillary's chest, when Jessica poked her head into the bedroom.    
“Hey, sweetheart,” Hillary said, smiling softly at her oldest daughter.    
“Hey,” Jessica chirped, coming into the room. “You okay?”    
Hillary shrugged as Jessica crawled into the bed with her mom and baby sister. She cuddled up to her mother as Hillary sighed contently, feeling relaxed for the first time in hours. “Hi.”    
“Hey,” Jessica weakly smiled at her mother.    
“I’ve missed you lately,” Hillary suddenly admitted.    
“I’ve missed you, too,” Jessica softly echoed.    
Hillary quietly sighed and gently stroked Jessica’s long shiny blonde tresses with the hand that wasn’t holding Cassandra.    
“I’ll bring the bassinet up here for Cassandra,” Jessica offered. “You’ll be more comfortable.”    
“You sure?” Hillary checked.    
Jessica nodded. “It’s no problem. Be right back.”   
Hillary nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”    
  


* * * * * *

Jessica was getting Cassandra settled comfortably into Sophia’s old bassinet when Hillary’s cell phone suddenly rang. Upon seeing on the call display that it was Scott, Hillary rolled her eyes and turned her phone off, not wanting to talk to him at all.    
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jessica said, sighing harshly.    
Hillary shrugged. “It’s not your fault. I got myself into this mess.”    
“Well, I’m still sorry,” Jessica softly said.    
Hillary nodded and shrugged again. “I don’t think I’m going to divorce him. If he can get his act together, that is.”    
“Why not?” Jessica asked with a frown as she came back over to Hillary and crawled back into the bed with her mother.    
Hillary shrugged again. “He isn’t that bad, all things considered.”    
“ _Mom!_ ” Jessica exclaimed, knowing that her mom  _ knew _ better than that.    
Hillary harshly sighed. “I don’t know. We’ll just have to see how things go and what happens over the next few days and weeks. Hopefully he’ll go back to rehab soon.”    
“I absolutely hate him, Mom,” Jessica suddenly said, a disgusted edge to her voice. 

“Yeah, well. I’m not his biggest fan right now either,” Hillary conceded with a harsh sigh.   
“What about Bill, Mom?” Jessica softly asked, looking at her mom curiously.   
“I’m not leaving Scott.” Hillary fervently shook her head.   
“But, Mom…” Jessica harshly sighed. “ _Why not_?”   
“Because, Jess,” Hillary frowned and sadly sighed. “I don’t want _another_ failed marriage, alright? I hate feeling like such a failure.”   
“Mom, I just want you to be happy,” Jessica started, staring directly into her mother’s eyes, her dark brown eyes meeting her mother’s aqua blue ones. “And I can tell that you’re not in love with Scott.”   
“I love him,” Hillary unconvincingly insisted with a shrug. “We have a baby together.”   
“So do you and my biological dad. And you two absolutely _hate_ each other,” Jessica pointed out.   
"That's different, Jess," Hillary retorted with a sigh. "And I don't hate your father."  
Jessica scoffed but she didn't want to push the issue. "Whatever, Mom. You need to leave Scott."  
Hillary sighed again and rolled over in bed, not wanting to discuss it anymore. "Goodnight, Jess."  
"Don't be stupid, Mom," Jessica replied with a sigh as she crawled out of the bed.  
"I am a lot of things, Jessica," Hillary firmly said. "And stupid isn't one of them."  
"You are if you're willing to stay with a man you're not in love with," Jessica pointed out. "Especially when the person who you _do_ truly love would do anything in this world to be with you again."  
"Goodnight, Jess," Hillary repeated, hoping that her daughter would get the hint that she didn't want to talk about it anymore.  
"You _know_ that I'm right, Mom," Jessica quietly said.  
“Can you please just leave me alone for a bit, Jessie?” Hillary politely requested.   
Jessica loudly scoffed. “Um, it’s _my_ room! You took it without even asking!”   
“Fine,” Hillary sharply said as she quickly got out of the bed. “I’ll leave then.” She let out a shaky breath and shook her head to rid herself of the tears that suddenly threatened to fall.   
“Fine!” Jessica loudly yelled.   
“I thought I raised you better than this, Jessica.” Hillary shook her head again as she grabbed her suitcase.   
“And I never thought that you would subject yourself to such misery.” Jessica sadly sighed.   
“Scott’s done so much for you, Jess,” Hillary pointed out.   
“His money doesn’t mean shit, Mom!” Jessica exclaimed. “Look at all of the damage he’s caused.”   
“Okay, Bye Jess,” Hillary said, ignoring her daughter’s comment as she carefully scooped up Cassandra.   
“Mom, think of your children,” Jessica begged with a pleading look in her eyes. “We need you to be happy but more importantly, we need you to be _safe_.”   
“Don’t tell me how I should raise my children!” Hillary argued.   
“Then pull your head out of the sand, Mom!” Jessica yelled.   
“What the hell is going on?” Bill suddenly burst into the room. He had been trying to sleep but Hillary and Jessica’s arguing had woken him up.   
“Please take me to a hotel, Bill,” Hillary shortly said, ignoring his question.   
“Mom, wait.” Jessica harshly sighed. “I’m sorry.”   
“Please,” Hillary begged, her voice cracking. She stared at Bill pleadingly, on the verge of completely breaking down any minute.   
Bill just nodded, willing to do _anything_ for the woman in front of him who he was still deeply in love with.   
“Of course.”

* * * * *

As soon as they were in the car and Hillary had pulled the car door shut, she immediately broke down and started quietly sobbing to herself.   
“What happened between you and Jess?” Bill asked, furrowing his brow and frowning in confusion as he pulled the car out of the driveway.   
"I don't even know!" Hillary sobbed out. "I'm still in love with you, Bill!"  
"Don't say that." Bill harshly sighed. "You're still married, Hillary."  
"What about my offer?" Hillary sniffed and brushed away her tears with the back of her hand.  
"We can't." Bill sadly shook his head and let out a resigned sigh.  
"Right." Hillary looked down and sadly nodded, knowing that Bill was right, before she started quietly crying again.

They rode in painful silence until Bill pulled into the parking lot of a nearby hotel a few minutes later.   
"Want me to walk you in?" Bill offered.  
Hillary shook her head. "Thanks for the ride."  
"It was no trouble, Hill," Bill quietly assured her, only wishing that there was  _ more _ that  he could do to help her in that moment.   
Hillary grabbed Cassandra's car seat and their bags from the back seat.  Without looking back at Bill, she entered the hotel lobby.

* * * * *

She was getting settled into her hotel room and trying to put Cassandra to sleep when her cell phone rang. Upon seeing on the call display that it was Bill, Hillary sadly sighed and decided not to answer it.  
"It's okay, baby girl," Hillary soothed as Cassandra's crying broke her out of her thoughts. She stared down at the baby in her arms and frowned, feeling horrible for everything she had put her kids - especially her newborn daughter- through over the past several days.  
"It's okay, baby," Hillary whispered in a soothing voice as she gently stroked Cassandra's tiny cheek with her thumb. "We're safe here."  
She leaned down and gently kissed Cassandra's cheek when she heard her Blackberry beep with an email notification. She picked up her phone and saw that it was from Bill.

_ I don't want you to think that I don't love you anymore. Because I do. God, I do. More than anything. I want so badly to be with you but I know how you feel about affairs. I don't want you to have to compromise your morals and values. _

She sadly sighed and tried not to tear up as she read the email. She shook her head to herself as she started feeding Cassandra.

* * * * * 

A few minutes later, she was cuddling with Cassandra and was just about to go to sleep when her cell phone rang. She frowned and checked the call display, expecting it to be Bill. She sadly sighed when she saw it was Scott but she decided to ignore it. She was just starting to drift off to sleep when her phone beeped with a text message from Scott. 

_ I’m going back to rehab tomorrow. I’ll get better. I promise. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I love you and Cassandra so much _ .

Hillary harshly sighed and decided to phone her husband.    
“Hello?” Scott answered after a couple of rings.    
“Hey,” Hillary quietly said.    
“I’m so sorry, Hillary,” Scott said with a sad sigh. “I’m going to check myself back into rehab tomorrow. I swear.”    
“Okay,” was all Hillary managed to say.    
“Please don’t hate me,” Scott begged.    
“I don’t,” Hillary quietly said, her voice strained.    
“How’s Cassandra?” Scott asked.    
“She's fine,” Hillary answered. “She just fell asleep.” She sighed again. “I think she misses you.”    
“I miss her  _ so _ much, Hillary,” Scott frantically said. “Please come visit me.”    
“Are you still high?” Hillary asked.    
“No,” Scott lied. “Well, not really.”    
“Listen, Scott.” Hillary sadly sighed. “There’s no need for me to come now. It’s late and Cassandra is sleeping soundly for now. I don’t want to disturb her.”    
“Fine.” Scott harshly sighed. “Will you come visit me in rehab?”   
“Of course,” Hillary assured him. “I’ll bring Cassandra to visit you but I don’t know if I’m ready to talk yet or not though.”   
“Is this it then? Are we getting a divorce?” Scott asked in an incredulous tone of voice.    
“I don’t know yet,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.    
“Fuck it. Just divorce me then. It’s for the best,” Scott loudly retorted. “I had more fun tonight without you anyways. You know you don’t love me anymore!”    
“You’re right,” Hillary quietly said. “I’m not in love with you,” she added, finally admitting it out loud.    
“Well I’m going to make you fall in love with me again,” Scott desperately tried. “I’m going to get clean and then I’m going to be everything you want. I promise.”    
“It’s too late for that, Scott,” Hillary said in a pointed tone.    
“Hillary, please,” Scott begged. “Please just give me one more chance.  _ Please _ .”   
“No. I don’t think so,” Hillary firmly said.    
“Please! Please don’t give up on us,” Scott pleaded. “I’m going to change. Really.”    
“Yeah well. That doesn’t change how I feel,” Hillary pointed out.    
“But we have a baby!” Scott argued. “I can make you love me again. I’ll do whatever it takes.”   
“No. It’s too late, Scott.”    
“Please, Hillary! I won’t fuck this up. You made a vow, damnnit!” Scott argued.    
“And so did you!” Hillary retorted, being careful not to raise her voice so as to not wake the baby. “But you got hooked on drugs again! You chose cocaine and partying over your family! You hurt me! So screw our vows!”    
“I have an  _ addiction _ , Hillary,” Scott argued in return. “Like I said, I’m going to check back in to rehab tomorrow. I’m going to get clean again.”   
“You say that now,” Hillary said with a frustrated sigh.    
“I promise I will,” Scott swore.    
Hillary harshly sighed and sucked in a breath, hoping that she wasn't making a mistake. “I’m going to give you  _ one _ more chance, Scott. But that’s it. Only one last chance.”    
“Okay, Hillary,” Scott replied, sounding grateful and relieved. “I’m not going to let you down. I swear.”   
Hillary sadly sighed. “Goodnight, Scott.”    
“Goodnight,” Scott said in return, wanting to let his wife get some sleep. 

Upon hanging up the phone, Hillary immediately broke down into inconsolable sobs. What was she going to do? She had just basically taken her husband back but she was still desperately in love with Bill…   
As she inconsolably cried over the impossible situation she was in, the sound of her sobs woke Cassandra up.    
“Shhh,” Hillary soothed, gently rocking her daughter. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I didn’t mean to wake you.”    
She gently kissed Cassandra on the top of her head and gently laid Cassandra on her chest, hoping that the newborn would go back to sleep.    
Just as her youngest daughter was starting to drift back off to sleep, Hillary’s phone beeped again with a text message from Jessica. 

_ I love you, Mom. And I’m sorry _ .

Hillary frowned and quietly sighed to herself as she read the message. 

_ You have nothing to be sorry for, Jessie. I love you so much. I’M the one who's sorry _ she replied. 

  
_ Okay, Mama. I love you. Have a good night and get some sleep _ Jessica replied a few seconds later. 

_ You too, sweetie. Love you _ Hillary quickly sent back before she crawled under the covers of the luxurious queen size bed and tried to get comfortable.    
  


* * * * * *

After a few restless hours of tossing and turning and not being able to fall asleep, Hillary decided to check her phone. She saw that she had another email from Bill and opened it up to read it. 

_ I would really love it if you didn’t hate me right now _ .

Hillary sighed to herself and quickly typed a reply.    
  


_ I don’t hate you. I love you. You know that.  _

She left it at that and sent it before she lay back down and finally fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. 

* * * * * *

Due to Cassandra waking up multiple times in the night to be fed or just to be held, cuddled, and comforted, Hillary was desperate for some caffeine the next morning. Before she had to check out of her hotel room, she had taken Cassandra to the coffee shop that was downstairs in the hotel lobby. After finally perking up after a much needed cup of coffee, she was having fun spending time with Cassandra when suddenly her phone rang.    
“Hello?”   
“Hey,” Bill’s southern drawl came through on the other end in a soft and quiet tone. “I just wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing.”   
“I’m fine,” Hillary assured her ex. “How are the girls?”    
“They’re fine,” Bill reassured Hillary. “Chelsea’s sleeping in and Hayley is watching cartoons. Jessica went to work. Do you need me to pick you up?”   
“Um, yes, please,” Hillary answered softly as she took a sip of her latte. She just really wanted to see Bill’s face.    
“Okay, no problem,” Bill said. “I’ll see you soon.”    
“Okay,” Hillary replied before hanging up.    
  


* * * * * *

As Bill arrived at the hotel a while later he walked into the hotel lobby and saw Hillary sitting inside the coffee shop. He smiled to himself at the sight of her which was a very welcome image. She looked calm and serene, sitting inside the coffee shop, smiling down at Cassandra and sipping her drink.    
A soft smile stayed on Bill’s face as he walked across the hotel lobby and joined Hillary inside the coffee shop.    
“Hey,” he softly greeted as he sat down across the table from Hillary. He smiled down at Cassandra who was happily cooing away. “How are you two doing today?”    
Hillary weakly smiled at the sight of Bill. She gently shrugged. “We’re okay.”    
Bill nodded and smiled. “Good, good. Did you check out already?”   
Hillary shook her head. “No, not yet.”   
“I can watch Cassandra,” Bill suddenly offered.    
Hillary nodded and passed the baby over, grateful for Bill’s help.    
“Be right back.”    
  
* * * * * *

When she went back to the coffee shop a few minutes later after she had grabbed her and Cassandra’s belongings and checked out of her room, she found Bill quietly singing to Cassandra as he gently held her in his big strong arms. Cassandra was smiling and staring happily up at Bill. Hillary knew that newborns couldn’t really see that well but her daughter obviously liked Bill as she seemed happy and content in his arms.    
“She likes you,” Hillary remarked with a weak smile as she walked back over to the table.    
“I can tell.” Bill chuckled. “She’s sweet. And she's so beautiful, Hillary. She reminds me of our girls.”    
“God, I know,” Hillary agreed with a nod.    
“I love newborns,” Bill commented.    
Hillary smiled slightly and nodded again. “I know. And you’re good with them.” Hillary managed to chuckle slightly.    
Bill nodded as he continued to gently rock Cassandra.    
“Um, shall we get going then?” Hillary suddenly asked. She nervously cleared her throat.    
Bill nodded and got Cassandra settled comfortably into her car seat before he grabbed Hillary's bags for her. Smiling at Bill gratefully, Hillary picked the car seat up and followed Bill outside to his rental car.    
  


* * * * * *

As he started driving back to Jessica’s house, Hillary noticed that Bill suddenly looked upset about something. His brow was furrowed and he was frowning.    
“What’s wrong, Bill?” Hillary asked with a frown.    
“I just don’t know what happened to my life, is all,” Bill answered with a harsh sigh. “I had everything I could ever want in life — you and the kids—and I messed everything up. And it’s nobody's fault but my own. My life is completely fucked and I’ve got no one but myself to blame. I don’t know what happened to me. I really don’t.”   
“I don’t know what’s happened to me either,” Hillary admitted in a quiet voice.    
Bill frowned again as Hillary sadly sighed.    
“Hillary, I just want you to know that I really am sorry. I regret what I did to you and I’m going to pay for it for the rest of my life. You were the  _ best _ thing that ever happened to me, okay? I should have never done the things that I did to you during our marriage.”   
Hillary suddenly teared up and looked over at Bill softly.    
“I can’t handle all of this craziness,” she admitted out loud. “Too much is happening right now.”   
Bill nodded understandingly. “I’m sorry. I understand. You don’t deserve  _ any _ of this, Hillary.”    
“I just don’t want this life for Cassandra,” Hillary quietly explained. “I’m scared to leave him _and_ I’m scared to stay with him. I don’t want our girls to have to grow up in this kind of environment if I stay with him.”   
Bill nodded, as memories of his own painful childhood flooded back to him.    
“I just wish I could be happy again,” Hillary explained, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t think I’ve been  _ truly _ happy since I lost you.” She nervously bit her lip after making this admission. “I’ve tried. God, I’ve tried. I just miss you  _ so much _ , Bill. I think about you  _ every day _ .” She looked down at her lap, feeling uncharacteristically nervous and shy around Bill all of a sudden.    
“I think about you all the time, too,” Bill admitted as he stopped at a red light.    
Hillary harshly sighed and sadly shook her head, not really in the mood to talk about her long standing feelings for Bill further.    
“Let’s just go back to Jessica's place.”    
  


* * * * * *

As they walked in the door, the townhouse was dark, empty and silent. They took their shoes off and as they entered the living/dining room area, Hillary noticed that there was a note left on the dining room table. 

_ Took Hayley to the park for a bit.  _

_ -Chelsea _

“Aww, that’s sweet.” Hillary smiled to herself.   
“Yeah, it is,” Bill agreed with a soft smile. “Chelsea’s a great kid.”   
Hillary nodded. “We did a good job with all of our kids.”   
Bill nodded in agreement as Hillary put Cassandra’s car seat down and took a seat on the living room couch.   
“Do you mind if I join you?” Bill asked, gesturing to the empty spot on the couch beside Hillary.   
Hillary nodded as she scooped up Cassandra. “Go ahead.”  
Bill took a seat next to his ex-wife, leaving some space in between the two of them, and then smiled softly down at Cassandra.   
“It’s funny,” Bill started. “She looks exactly like Jessica and Chelsea but she also looks a lot like Scott.”   
“Yeah.” Hillary nodded. “She has Scott’s hair and nose for sure.”   
“But she has your eyes,” Bill pointed out. “And your mouth.”   
“I love her _so_ much,” Hillary remarked as she softly smiled down at the baby in her arms.   
“I know.” Bill nodded. “You’re an amazing mother, Hillary.”  
Hillary smiled to herself as Bill softly stared at her.   
“Um, do you want some breakfast?” Bill awkwardly asked. “I can cook something.”  
“Yeah, okay.” Hillary nodded. “That would be nice.” She had missed Bill’s cooking but especially his breakfasts.   
Bill nodded. “No problem. I’ll whip something up for us.”  
Hillary nodded but her brow furrowed in confusion as she made a realization. “Hey. Where’s Sophie?”  
“Jessica is trying out a daycare for her a few days a week while she's at work,” Bill explained. "She just wants to see how it goes."   
Hillary nodded understandingly at Bill’s explanation.   
“Once I figure out what I’m doing with mine and Scott’s relationship, maybe I could watch her a few days a week since I’m on maternity leave. Then Jess wouldn’t have to pay for daycare.”   
Bill nodded. “That would be helpful.”  
Hillary nodded and suddenly let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding. “I’m honestly thinking of completely starting over. I might even quit my job and start fresh somewhere else.”   
Bill nodded understandingly.   
“If things don’t work out with Scott, I want to move back to the city,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.   
“The city...wow,” Bill remarked, looking taken aback. “Like...New York City?”   
Hillary shrugged. “New York, Chicago. I don’t know yet. I haven’t gotten that far in my planning yet. I just know I need a fresh start somewhere.”  
“Just when I was finally close to the kids again,” Bill muttered with a frown.   
“Come with us,” Hillary quietly said. “You can find a job anywhere.”   
“The _last_ thing I’m worried about right now is work, Hilly,” Bill solemnly said. “You’re right. I could get a job anywhere. Especially if you’re serious about leaving Scott and moving, Hillary.”  
“I don’t even know yet.” Hillary shook her head to herself. “This is just if things between me and Scott don’t work out after all.”   
“Do you really think he loves you the way I do?” Bill quietly asked, running his right hand over the back of his neck.   
Hillary visibly hesitated but after a moment, she shook her head.  
“Then give me another chance, Hillary. _Please_ ,” Bill begged.   
“I don’t know.” Hillary sadly sighed. “I don’t necessarily _hate_ Scott. He’s just...different than you. It isn’t all that bad being married to him.” She shrugged, making excuses.  
Bill harshly sighed, knowing that Hillary was clearly in denial over the current state of her marriage. “But we could be happy again, Hillary. I _know_ it.” He stared at Hillary pleadingly. “You _know_ that our love is a once in a lifetime kind of love, Hillary.” He shook his head to himself, trying not to get emotional.  
Hillary suddenly shook her head. “No, Bill. You’ve lost your chance.”  
“Hillary, please,” Bill begged. “I’ve changed. I really have, Hill. I’ve been back in therapy and doing a lot of work on myself the past few weeks. You have to trust me.”  
“I’m married,” Hillary said in a shaky voice, desperately wishing that that fact wasn’t true. “I can’t just leave my husband for the man that _cheated_ on me. More than once, I might add.”She stared at Bill pointedly.   
“Then leave him for _yourself_ and your own happiness, Hillary!” Bill argued, knowing that his ex-wife had a point but he still wanted her to find true happiness again.   
“Bill.” Hillary sighed and briefly shut her eyes in frustration and opened them again. She stared over at Bill. “Bill, if I leave Scott, I’ll be thrown out on my ass with a newborn and a toddler with _nowhere_ to go and no money. Scott controls the bank accounts.”   
“If you leave him, I’ll take care of you,” Bill promised, staring at Hillary softly. “Whether you give me another chance romantically or not...I’ll take care of you.” He owed his ex-wife that much. “You and the kids could stay here with me and Jess and Sophia until you were able to get back on your feet.”   
Hillary vigorously shook her head. “I’m not leaving him, Bill. I’m not a quitter. I can’t give up on my marriage that easily.”  
Bill impulsively reached over and gently cupped Hillary's cheeks with his hands as he stared softly at her. "I know you're not a quitter, Hillary, and you never have been but you _are_ smarter than this. That I know. You are _so_ perfect Hillary and you deserve everything good that this world has to offer. Okay?"  
Hillary teared up upon hearing Bill's words and she didn't know what to say.  
Seeing that Hillary was rendered speechless, Bill continued. "You are the most amazing person I've _ever_ met in my entire life and you should have everything you could ever want." He leaned down and gently kissed Hillary's forehead before he started softly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry that I failed you, Hillary. I absolutely hate myself for what I did to you but please don't let _my_ mistakes hold you back from being happy. Okay?"  
"I'm not leaving him." Hillary shook her head as tears slowly and silently rolled down her face. "We have a baby!" She choked out.  
"Damn it, Hillary!" Bill suddenly exclaimed in frustration at Hillary's stubbornness.  
"This is _so_ difficult, Bill," Hillary sobbed out. "I don't know what to do!"  
Bill suddenly sadly sighed, feeling guilty for his outburst. "Okay, shhh. It's okay, Hillary. I know it's difficult. And I know that I don't deserve you. It just hurts so fucking bad because I love you _so_ much. And I know that you love me too."  
Hillary managed to nod as she took Bill's words in.  
"I would do _anything_ for you, Hillary," Bill softly said as he wrapped his arms around Hillary and hugged her tightly against his chest.  
"Will you wait for me while I figure out what I'm going to do?" Hillary quietly murmured into the crook of Bill's shoulder.  
"I would wait for you for a lifetime, Hillary," Bill quietly assured her before he gently kissed the top of Hillary's head, inhaling her sweet smelling shampoo as he did so. "Take your time, Hill. It's a big decision."  
Hillary nodded and quietly sighed. "God, I want so badly for you to kiss me, Bill," she suddenly whispered into Bill's ear as she hugged him tightly.  
Bill looked down at her as she stared back up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.  
"Are you sure, Hillary?" Bill checked, not wanting to cross any lines that Hillary wasn't comfortable with.  
Hillary nodded. "Absolutely," she whispered.  
Bill nodded before he leaned in and started to give Hillary a soft and loving gentle kiss on the lips.  
Hillary softly smiled against Bill's lips as she deepened the kiss and passionately kissed Bill back.  
"I do love you, Bill," Hillary suddenly whispered against Bill's lips as they broke apart for air. "I love you _so_ much."  
Just as she smiled and leaned in for another kiss, they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.  
Hillary frowned. "Who could that be?"  
"Wait here. I'll go get it," Bill offered. "It's probably just a door to door salesman or something."  
Hillary nodded and scooped up Cassandra from her car seat as Bill quickly got up from the couch to go answer the door.  
  


* * * * * *

Bill was surprised when he opened the door and Scott was standing on the doorstep.  
"Where's Hillary?" Scott loudly demanded, glaring at Bill before he pushed past Bill and forced himself into the house.  
Hillary stared at her husband in shock as he stormed into the living room. She put Cassandra back into her car seat just as Scott stormed over to her and roughly grabbed Hillary's arm.  
"Scott!" Hillary angrily exclaimed, wincing in pain as Scott tightly squeezed her wrist.  
"We're leaving," Scott snarled. "Grab Cassandra."  
"Scott, Cassandra's sleeping. We're not going _anywhere_ with you," Hillary firmly said, realizing that Scott was high again. "I thought you were checking back into rehab, Scott."  
"Shut your mouth, Hillary. I'm calling the shots now!" Scott shouted. "We're doing things according to what _I_ want!"  
"Scott, please leave," Bill firmly demanded. "Right now."  
" _You_ stay the fuck out of this," Scott snarled. "This is between my wife and I," he continued before he roughly grabbed and squeezed Hillary's upper arm causing her to wince in pain again.  
Hillary gave Bill a vulnerable stare as Bill managed to pull Scott away from her.  
"Don't fucking touch me!" Scott angrily exclaimed, glaring at Bill.  
"Don't touch her!" Bill angrily retorted, wanting to protect Hillary.  
Scott angrily glared at Bill as he clenched his fists.  
"Scott, don't!" Hillary cried out as she noticed Scott raise his right fist as if he was about to punch Bill. She jumped in front of Bill to protect him but Scott pushed her out of the way prompting Bill to roughly shove Scott up against the living room wall.  
"Do that again and I _will_ kill you," Bill seethed through gritted teeth. "I will fucking kill you."  
Scott loudly scoffed and started laughing. "I'd like to see you try."  
"He's high, Bill." Hillary harshly sighed and teared up. "Just stop it. Both of you."  
When Bill realized that Hillary had started to quietly cry, he slowly backed away from Scott but he made sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he couldn't put his hands on Hillary again.  
"You need to leave, Scott," Bill firmly said.  
"Well can I at least see my daughter first?" Scott asked.  
Hillary loudly scoffed. "No! And especially not when you're in this condition!"  
"But I love her!" Scott exclaimed. "She's my baby!"  
"Then love her enough to get clean!" Hillary begged.  
"Nope." Scott shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going to rehab and you're coming home with me."  
"Fine! Don't go!" Hillary yelled. "But you'll never see Cassandra again."  
"Fine, you bitch!" Scott shouted in return. "I'll just sue you for custody then," he angrily snarled.  
“Fine!” Hillary angirly shouted, just wanting Scott to go away and knowing that a judge would never give custody to Scott in his current state. “Just get the hell out of this house!”   
Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes.    
“Leave!” Hillary begged, her voice cracking with emotion just as Cassandra starting loudly crying, prompting Hillary to quickly scoop her up. “We need to stop yelling,” Hillary realized as she gently rocked Cassandra and tried to calm her down. “Scott, please leave before I call the police. And  _ please _ check yourself back into rehab.”   
“Fine,” Scott surrendered with a rough sigh. “I will. I’ll leave.”   
He sadly sighed again as Hillary protectively held Cassandra against her chest.    
“I love her, too!” Scott suddenly yelled.    
“I know you do,” Hillary acquiesced with a sad, frustrated sigh. “So get clean. For her.”    
“Fine,” Scott agreed with a reluctant nod. “I will. I’ll check back into rehab today. I promise.”   
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said with a slight nod before Scott angrily stormed out of the house and slammed the door shut behind him. 

“Are you okay?” Bill checked, his first concern always being Hillary’s safety and wellbeing.   
Hillary nodded as she passed Cassandra over to Bill. She took a nice big deep breath to calm her adrenaline. “That’s it. That was the last straw. I’m filing for divorce.”   
“Good.” Bill nodded as he carefully took Cassandra from his ex-wife.    
Hillary sighed and teared up again as she found her cell phone to call a divorce lawyer.    
  


* * * * * *   
  


A few minutes later, after Hillary had come back from speaking to one of her colleagues from the law firm where she worked, who handled Family Law, and making an appointment with him for later that week, she sat back down with Bill and Cassandra on the couch. Her nerves from her earlier encounter with Scott were just beginning to settle when all of a sudden her cell phone rang.    
She picked it up, expecting it to be one of the kids or maybe her colleague from work calling her back about something. “Hello?”   
“Hi, my name’s Bridget. I’m a nurse over at Yale New Haven Hospital. Is this Hillary Rodham?”   
“Um, yes. This is she,” Hillary nervously cleared her throat , wondering what this could be about.    
“Your daughter, Jessica Rodham, was brought in a little while ago. She collapsed while she was at work.”    
“What?” Hillary loudly gasped. “Well, is she okay?” She frowned in concern and her brow furrowed as her mind ran through endless possibilities and scenarios.    
“They’re still running tests right now,” Bridget explained in a kind and calming voice. “And she's fine now, don't worry. But you should probably come down here as soon as possible. Your daughter’s asking for you.”   
“Of course! I’ll be right down,” Hillary frantically said. “Thank you so much for calling.” She quickly hung up and stared at Bill, the worry and fear evident in her eyes.    
Bill frowned. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”   
“We have to go. Jessica’s in the hospital.” 

  
To Be Continued…   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil laugh* Hahahaha. ;)


	29. You're Still The One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating a little earlier than usual because I had too much caffeine late in the day and (I'm sure I'm not the only one) but these election results are STRESSING me out so I'm sure we could ALL use a distraction from them right now! This story and these characters (well, all but one of them lololol) are my happy place right now. I'm really excited about this chapter so I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Trigger Warning for suicidal ideation/thoughts in this chapter.

After Bill had driven as quickly as he possibly could without breaking the speed limit, Bill and Hillary rushed through the sliding glass doors of the hospital and into the Emergency Room a while later.    
“Jessica Rodham?” Hillary frantically asked, running up to the admit desk. “I was told she was brought here a little while ago?”   
The desk clerk typed something into the computer and looked up at Bill and Hillary a moment later, nodding. “She's in Curtain Area One. Down the hall and to your right.”    
Hillary qucikly nodded and started running in that direction, her long blonde hair bouncing behind her.    
“Thank you,” Bill gratefully said to the desk clerk before he quickly caught up to his ex-wife. 

A few moments later, Jessica looked up from the old, battered copy of  _ Us Weekly _ that she had been flipping through as Hillary pulled back the curtain and rushed over to Jessica’s bedside. Bill pulled the curtain back closed around them, to give his stepdaughter some privacy.    
“Hi, Mom,” Jessica said softly, biting her lip and giving Hillary a sheepish look as she remembered her and her mother’s fight the night before.    
“Hey, sweetie,” Hillary said with a soft stare as she leaned down and tightly hugged Jessica.    
A few seconds later, she pulled away to let Bill do the same.    
“What happened, sweetheart?” Bill tenderly asked, squeezing Jessica tightly.    
Jessica sadly sighed as Bill let go of the embrace. “They’re still running tests but the doctor thinks I fainted because I’m sleep deprived and dehydrated.”    
“Honey, I’m  _ so  _ sorry I haven’t been helping you out more,” Hillary sincerely apologized, feeling incredibly guilty that she was part of the reason her daughter was currently in the hospital.    
Jessica shrugged as Hillary pecked the top of her head. “You did this on your own before you met Bill.” She shook her head and frowned. “I’m just weak.”    
“That is not true at all, honey!” Hillary admonished with a frown of her own. “Everyone needs help sometimes, baby girl.” She sadly sighed to herself, feeling embarrassed and ashamed that she hadn’t realized sooner how much Jessica was struggling.    
Jessica nodded as she suddenly teared up, all of the emotions from the past few hours, and the past couple of days catching up to her.    
“It’s okay, baby.” Hillary stared softly at Jessica before wrapping her arms around her daughter tightly.    
Jessica nodded and sniffed as she wrapped her arms around her mother in return and squeezed Hillary tightly. “Everything is so hard, Mom!” She cried into the crook of Hillary's neck. “I’m always working or at school and I barely get to see Sophia!”    
“I’m going to help you out more from now on, sweetie,” Hillary assured Jessica quietly, as she soothingly ran her hands up and down her daughter's long back. “I promise.”    
“Me, too, Jess,” Bill promised, staring at the two women tenderly.    
Jessica sniffled again and nodded. “I’m sorry you guys. I’m an adult. I should be able to handle things on my own.”   
“Sweetheart, it’s difficult to raise a child,” Hillary said, pulling away from her embrace with Jessica and squeezing her daughter’s hand. “I should have been there for you from the  _ beginning _ . I’m so sorry. I was...distracted.” Hillary nervously cleared her throat, feeling incredibly guilty over how distracted with Scott she had been over the past year, to the detriment of her relationships with her children and grandchild.    
“I’m working my ass off and I can barely make ends meet,” Jessica admitted, shaking her head to herself.    
“We can help you, Jessie,” Bill urged. “No, wait. Scratch that. We  _ will _ help you from now on.”    
Jessica nodded slightly. “I just want the best for Sophia,” she said in a quiet voice just as a doctor pulled back the curtain and came over to Jessica’s bedside.    
“How is she doing?” Bill asked the tall thirtysomething brunette male doctor.    
“She’ll be fine in a few hours,” the doctor assured the worried parents. “We’re giving her IV fluids now to treat her dehydration. And she needs plenty of rest but she should be good to go in a few hours.”    
“Oh, thank God.” Hillary exhaled in relief as she and Bill exchanged grateful stares with each other.    
“But you need to get plenty of rest over the next twenty-four hours, Jessica,” the doctor repeated.    
“We’ll make sure she does,” Hillary assured the doctor as Jessica nodded.    
The doctor nodded and made a few notes on Jessica’s chart before he turned on his heel and left the room.    
“See?” Hillary said, gently stroking Jessica’s long blonde hair. “You can go home in a few hours.”   
Jessica nodded and looked up at Hillary. “Can you pick up Sophia from daycare by any chance?”   
“Of course I can do that,” Hillary reassured Jessica.    
“I’ll go,” Bill offered, wanting to give Jessica and Hillary some mother-daughter private time. “You stay with her.”    
Hillary nodded and stared at Bill gratefully. “See you soon.”   
“Thanks, Bill,” Jessica said quietly, weakly smiling at her stepfather.    
“No problem, honey,” Bill assured her. He lightly pecked her forehead before he left the room.   
Hillary softly smiled at Jessica after Bill was gone and reached for the television remote that was on the bedside table next to Jessica. “Want to watch one of those stupid and trashy reality shows that you love so much?” She chuckled.    
Jessica playfully scoffed and rolled her eyes. “They’re  _ not _ trashy. They’re called guilty pleasures for a reason, Mom.”    
“I know,” Hillary quietly chuckled again as she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. “I’m just teasing, honey.”    
Jessica softly smiled and rested her head against her mother’s shoulder as Hillary crawled into the bed with her.    
“You’re too skinny,” Hillary commented, as she looked down at her daughter.    
Jessica scoffed. “Look who’s talking.”    
Hillary sighed, realizing that she had lost a lot of weight over the past year, prior to getting pregnant. “Well, we need to make sure that we’re taking proper care of ourselves.”    
Jessica nodded. “You’re right.”    
“I know that I’ve been different lately,” Hillary admitted as she leaned over and pecked her daughter’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, baby.”    
“I haven’t been myself either,” Jessica admitted with a sigh. “I’m sorry I haven’t been supporting you.”   
“No.” Hillary shook her head. She frowned and sighed. “Everything you’ve been saying is true. I should have listened to you sooner, sweetheart.” She quietly sighed again before she continued. “I called a divorce lawyer and made an appointment to speak with him.”    
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jessica whispered, looking down. She swallowed and nodded. “It was the right thing to do though.”   
Hillary sadly sighed and nodded in agreement. “We’re going to make everything right again, don’t worry,” she assured her oldest daughter. “We’re going to be okay again.” And she didn’t just mean her and Jessica. She meant her entire family when she said that they would be okay eventually.   
Jessica nodded in agreement before she sadly sighed. “I miss my baby.”   
“I know.” Hillary frowned and reassuringly squeezed Jessica’s hand. “She’ll be here in a few minutes.”   
Jessica nodded before she gently smiled. “Bill’s  _ so _ nice,” she mused.    
“I know.” Hillary nodded in agreement. She hesitated for a moment before she decided to tell Jessica. “I um...I kissed him today.”    
A wide toothy grin spread across Jessica’s face. “That’s really good, Mom.”   
Hillary nodded. “It was amazing.” She smiled softly to herself as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. “Now all I can think about is if we can  _ really _ start over. I just pray that we can.”    
“I think you can.” Jessica reassuringly squeezed her mother’s hand just as Hillary’s cell phone rang.    
“Hello?” she answered after she had dug it out of her purse.   
“Hey,” Scott’s gruff voice came through the other end.    
“Oh, hi.” Hillary was surprised to hear from him.   
“I was just calling to let you know that I’m on my way back to rehab right now,” Scott informed her, sounding much calmer than he had been just an hour previously.    
“That’s good,” Hillary quietly said. She was relieved. Not for her own sake but for their daughter’s sake. “Good luck.”    
“Thanks,” Scott quietly said. “Can I talk to you later?”   
“About?” Hillary asked, biting her lip.   
"Us," Scott plainly replied.   
"I'm not happy in this relationship, Scott," Hillary admitted in a whisper.   
"I want to make you happy, Hillary," Scott begged. "That's all I want."   
"I think we're over, Scott," Hillary quietly said with a small sigh.   
"No, please don't say that," Scott desperately pleaded. "I won't have anything to live for!"   
"You have a child now!" Hillary loudly exclaimed, scoffing. "Cassandra should be your whole world, Scott!"   
"I'll kill myself," Scott suddenly threatened.   
"Scott Graham! Stop it!" Hillary yelled. "Cassandra needs her father!"   
"No," Scott simply said with a sigh. "Tell her I loved her so much."   
_ "SCOTT _ !" Hillary loudly shrieked in surprise, causing Jessica to startle. "Stop it!"   
"No, this is what you want, Hillary," Scott simply said.   
"It is not!" Hillary insisted. "I want you to go to rehab and to get better so that Cassandra can have a healthy father."   
"Yeah, well you don't want  _ me _ anymore," Scott sadly said. "Tell Cassandra that I love her," he repeated.   
"Stop it please!" Hillary begged, not wanting Scott to do something stupid. "Just come to the hospital. I'll drive you to the rehab center. Please!"   
"Hospital?" Scott asked, sounding confused.   
“Yeah, Jessica's in the hospital. Long story," Hillary explained. "Please, Scott. Don't do anything stupid. Are you driving right now?"   
"No, I called a car," Scott answered.   
"Then just go to the rehab center and I'll meet you there," Hillary tried.   
Scott harshly sighed and huffed in annoyance. "Fine." He sighed again. "I love you."   
"I'll see you soon," was all Hillary managed to get out in return before she hung up.   
She shook her head to herself.   
"What's going on?" Jessica asked, giving her mother a concerned look.   
"Now Scott is threatening to kill himself!" Hillary exclaimed, shaking her head again.   
Jessica sadly sighed and frowned. "I'm sorry, mom. Maybe you should go be with him? Just in case he does try something?”    
“Damn straight I’m going there!” Hillary loudly and frustratedly exclaimed. “I’m going to make sure his ass can’t leave that rehab center.” She continued shaking her head in frustration. “God, he is so ridiculous!”    
“Okay, Mom. It’s okay. Calm down,” Jessica tried.    
“Shit, I don’t even have my car,” Hillary suddenly realized. “Bill drove me here in his rental car.”   
“Just calm down, Mom,” Jessica repeated in a calming tone. “Wait until Bill comes back.”    
Hillary nodded, knowing that Jessica was right. She sadly sighed. “God, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he actually did do something drastic.”    
“I understand.” Jessica nodded understandingly and squeezed her mother's hand reassuringly as both women knew they couldn’t do anything about the situation until Bill came back with the car.    
  


* * * * * *

“Mama!” Sophia squealed excitedly as Bill came back a few minutes later and gently placed Sophia down on Jessica’s hospital bed.    
Jessica grinned happily as Sophia crawled towards her. “Hello, my princess!” She picked up Sophia and gently cuddled the girl against her chest, instantly feeling better now that her daughter was in her arms. “Go ahead, Mom. Bill can stay here with me.”   
“Can I borrow your rental car?” Hillary asked Bill, turning towards him.    
“Of course,” Bill nodded but he frowned, looking confused. “But why?”    
“Um, Jess will explain,” Hillary quickly said, anxious to get to Scott. “I need to go,” she added, as she picked up Cassandra’s car seat and grabbed the car keys from Bill.    
“Mom, leave Cassandra,” Jessica sighed. “We’ll watch her.”    
“What if she gets hungry?” Hillary asked, biting her lip.    
“I have formula for Sophia,” Jessica answered. “It won’t hurt Cassandra to drink it just once.”   
Hillary sighed, knowing that her daughter was right. She had to get out of there and get to Scott at the rehab center as quickly as possible. “Okay, I’ll be back later,” she frantically said before she rushed out of the room.    


* * * * * *   
  


As she got down to the car, she pulled her phone out of her purse, threw her purse down on the passenger seat, and quickly called Scott.    
“Hello?” Scott answered after a few moments.    
“Hey,” Hillary softly said. “Where are you now?”    
“I’m almost at the rehab center,” Scott answered.    
“Okay, that’s good.” Hillary nodded to herself and sighed in relief. “I’m on my way.”   
“I don’t want to go to rehab, Hillary,” Scott said in a pained tone of voice. “I’d rather be dead than go to rehab again.”   
“Please, just wait for me to get there, Scott,” Hillary begged, her voice cracking. “You can do this, Scott. You’ll get through this. I promise.”   
“Why should I? You fucking hate me, Hillary!” Scott spat out.    
“I don’t hate you,” Hillary said with a sad sigh. “Please, just go to the rehab center and wait for me in the lobby.”   
Scott huffed in annoyance.    
“Scott, please,” Hillary begged. “Cassandra needs her father.”   
“She has Bill!” Scott argued.    
“And  _ you _ are her father!” Hillary argued back.    
“Well, I haven’t even seen her in two days!” Scott angrily argued. “She doesn't need me! Nobody needs me!”    
“You haven’t seen her because you’ve been high off your ass on drugs!” Hillary angrily pointed out.    
“You’re supposed to stand by me, Hillary!” Scott yelled. “We made vows, damn it! If I get help, you’re just going to run away!”    
“You didn’t exactly stand by me either, Scott!” Hillary argued. “But let's just talk when I get there.”   
She quickly hung up before Scott could say anything else and dropped her Blackberry into the front seat cup holder as she started the car. 

* * * * *

She found Scott waiting in the rehab center’s parking lot when she arrived nearly two hours later. He was standing next to the black SUV that he had ordered to take him to rehab. Hillary parked nearby and walked over to him. Silently, Scott opened the door to the backseat of the SUV and gestured for Hillary to get in. Hillary nodded and silently climbed into the back seat, Scott following behind her.    
“I am so sorry about last night and this morning,” Scott apologized, once him and Hillary were settled. He gently cupped Hillary’s cheek.   
“Don’t touch me,” Hillary firmly said, pulling away from him.    
“I am so sorry, Hillary,” Scott apologized again, shaking his head to himself. “I’m going to get better. I’m never going to hurt you again.”   
“You’ve hurt me more than you could ever possibly imagine,” Hillary admitted, her voice breaking as tears pooled in her eyes.    
“I know and I’m  _ so _ sorry about that,” Scott sincerely apologized. “I want to get better, Hill. Please don’t leave me.”   
Hillary shook her head. “You’ve ruined what we had.”    
“Yeah, I ruin everything,” Scott said, his tone suddenly changing and becoming bitter. “Which is why I’m better off dead.”   
“Stop saying things like that, Scott!” Hillary admonished. “You can still be an amazing father to our daughter, Scott. If you get the help you need.”   
“No, I can’t.” Scott sadly shook his head. “Just go, Hillary. You don’t ever have to see me again.”   
“Scott, stop it! I want Cassandra to have you in her life still!”    
“Hillary, just go.” Scott sighed. “I know how you feel about me.”   
“Do you love your daughter at all?” Hillary tried.    
“Of course I do!” Scott exclaimed with wide eyes. “Which is why I should just go now so she doesn’t even have to remember me.”   
“Scott, just get off the drugs,” Hillary begged. “Then you two will have an amazing relationship, I promise. She needs her dad.”   
“And I want you to need me,” Scott admitted.    
“I just need some time to think, okay?” Hillary sadly sighed. “Cassandra needs you to get better. Do it for her.”   
“But I don’t want to live without you,” Scott begged with a pleading look in his eyes.    
“Well, just get clean first and then we’ll see what happens,” Hillary tried, in a desperate effort to get Scott to check in to rehab. She shrugged.    
“Yeah, right.” Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You’ll probably fuck Bill senseless while I’m here.”   
“Oh, get off your high horse, Scott!” Hillary exclaimed. “I’m pretty sure you cheated on me with several women last night alone.”    
“I was drunk and high!” Scott argued. “Meanwhile, you’ll know  _ exactly _ what you’re doing when you’re fucking Bill.”   
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Scott.” Hillary shook her head. “You knew what you were doing last night. You checked out of rehab and did the drugs and got drunk. Now get clean so that you can make things right with your daughter and have a relationship with her.”   
“Yeah, you’re really making me  _ not _ want to blow my brains out right now,” Scott sarcastically said with an eye roll.   
“Let’s just go inside and get you checked in,” Hillary gently encouraged.    
“Hillary, don’t you get it?” Scott said in a pleading tone. “I’ve messed up too much already. Nothing I do will  _ ever _ make you love me. Just let me go home. Please.”    
“Don’t  _ you _ get it?” Hillary retorted. “You have a daughter now who needs her daddy.”    
“She’ll be fine without me,” Scott insisted, shaking his head.    
“That isn’t true!” Hillary exclaimed. “Please, Scott. Let’s get you checked in.”   
Scott hesitated for a moment before he reluctantly sighed and nodded. “Fine.”    
Hillary loudly sighed in relief. “Thank you.”    
  


* * * * * *

“Please, just  _ try _ to get better,” Hillary begged a few minutes later once Scott was checked in and they were saying their goodbyes. “For Cassandra.”   
Scott just shrugged in return.    
“Well, good luck,” Hillary said with a sad and tired sigh.    
“Tell Cassandra I love her,” Scott suddenly said.    
“Of course.” Hillary nodded.    
“Can I have a kiss or something, Hillary?” Scott asked. “We are still married after all.”    
Hillary nodded and wrapped her arms around Scott’s waist. She pulled him close to her.    
Scott squeezed her in return. They held onto each other for several moments before Hillary pulled away from the embrace.    
“Is there any way I can make you love me again?” Scott asked, staring at Hillary with sad eyes.    
“Scott, just get clean first and then we can talk,” Hillary tried. “Okay?”   
“Fine, whatever.” Scott angrily rolled his eyes. “Bye, Hillary.”   
“Goodbye,” Hillary sadly said in a quiet voice.    
“Will you come visit?” Scott suddenly asked.    
“Of course,” Hillary answered. “I’ll bring Cassandra to see you.”   
“Okay.” Scott nodded. “I’ll see you then, I guess.”   
Hillary nodded. “See you then.”   
“I love you, Hillary,” Scott tried. “And I’ll miss you.”   
“Just get better, okay?” Hillary cleared her throat. “I’ll see you in a few days,” she said softly before she turned around and walked away.    
  


* * * * * *

When Hillary got back to the hospital a few hours later —since Jessica hadn’t been discharged yet—Jessica was napping while Bill was sitting at her bedside, with Sophia nestled comfortably on his lap.    
“Hey,” He whispered, when he noticed Hillary’s arrival.   
“Hi,” Hillary whispered back as she scooped up Cassandra from her car seat. “How has she been?” She asked, referring to Cassandra.    
“She’s mostly been sleeping,” Bill answered. “She’s probably hungry by now.”   
Hillary nodded. “I’ll feed her.”    
Bill nodded. “How did it go?” He asked.    
Hillary shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s lost his mind.”   
“Are you okay?” Bill asked Hillary, staring at her with concerned eyes as Hillary sadly sighed.    
Hillary shrugged again and nodded. “I think so. I’m just stressed.”   
“Is there anything I can do?” Bill offered.    
Hillary shook her head. “I don’t think so. Thanks though.”   
Bill nodded slowly as he watched Hillary carefully cradle Cassandra against her chest. “Do you want me to step out so that you can feed her?”    
No.” Hillary shook her head as she took a seat in the other chair, next to Bill. It wasn't like it wasn't anything that Bill hadn't seen hundreds of times before. “So, um, about what happened between us…”   
“What about it?” Bill interjected.    
“I’m glad it happened,” Hillary quietly admitted with a small smile.    
Bill sighed in relief and softly smiled. “Me, too.”   
Hillary nervously smiled over at him before she sadly sighed. “I’m breaking Scott’s heart. I feel awful about it but I’m going to leave him. I  _ need _ to leave him. I’m going to do it for you...for us.”    
“Thank you,” Bill quietly said, nodding. “Thank you so much.” He reached over and squeezed Hillary’s shoulder. “I won’t let you down this time, Hillary. I swear to God, I won’t.”    
Hillary nodded and put Cassandra back down into her car seat. She sat back up and leaned over, closer to Bill. She leaned in and gently started kissing Bill again.    
Bill softly stared at her after they broke apart for air. He gently cupped her cheek with his free hand. “I love you so much, Hillary.”   
Hillary suddenly looked down and teared up.    
“Hey,” Bill whispered. “Talk to me, Hill."   
“I just feel so guilty,” Hillary admitted in a shaky voice.    
“Well, we can take things slow if that helps,” Bill offered.    
Hillary shook her head and cleared her throat. “It won’t.”   
“Well, what do you want to do, sweetie?” Bill quietly asked, staring at Hillary tenderly.    
“I need to wait until my divorce is finalized,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.    
“Of course.” Bill nodded understandingly. “If that’s what you want.”   
“I think that’s what I want.” Hillary nodded.    
“Okay.” Bill nodded, not wanting to push his ex-wife after everything she had just been through. “Well, can we still spend some time together?”    
“Yeah, that's fine.” Hillary nodded. “We can be friends. I would just feel so horrible cheating.”    
Bill nodded understandingly. “I understand, Hill. Maybe we can use this time to reconnect as friends then.”    
“Yeah, that sounds amazing,” Hillary said in a quiet tone. She softly smiled over at Bill.   
“I can’t tell you how happy I am right now,” Bill admitted as a wide grin spread across his face. “I have missed you  _ so _ much.”   
“I’ve missed you, too,” Hillary finally admitted. “ _ So _ much. I’ve missed just...just  _ being _ with you. Period.”    
Bill smiled tenderly at her.    
“You  _ get  _ me,” Hillary explained. “I can be  _ myself _ around you. I haven’t been happy without you. I was never myself around Scott. I don’t think he even  _ knows _ the real me.”    
Bill nodded understandingly again. “I’m sorry, Hillary.”   
Hillary shrugged. “We weren’t  _ always _ unhappy. I think he really loved and cared about me at first.”   
Bill nodded again, letting Hillary talk and vent.    
“I just don’t think I’ll ever love anyone the way that I love you,” Hillary explained, staring into Bill’s bright blue eyes. She suddenly sighed. “And I feel really guilty and terrible for jumping straight into a relationship with Scott and getting his hopes up.”   
“Then we’ll wait,” Bill gently reassured his ex-wife. “We can just spend time together as friends until you’re ready for something more.”   
“Thank you,” Hillary said quietly, nodding. “I  _ really _ appreciate that. I need that right now.”   
“I get it.” Bill nodded. “Besides, I think it will actually be good for us to spend time together reconnecting as friends first before jumping into something more serious.”   
Hillary nodded and looked down. “I need to find myself again. I need some Hillary time.”    
“I completely understand,” Bill nodded, having been where she was before. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”   
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary gratefully said as she reached over and gently squeezed his hand. She suddenly sighed and rubbed her right eye. Bill noticed she looked completely worn down and exhausted. “I’m so worried about Scott, Bill.”   
“Well, you can call the rehab center and call to check on him whenever you want,” Bill suggested, being supportive.    
Hillary nodded. “Thank you, Bill.”   
“I’m here for you, Hillary.” Bill softly smiled over at her. “We can at least be friends, if nothing else. And friends support one another."    
“I want to be more some day,” Hillary assured her ex-husband. “I would just rather wait until after the divorce is finalized.”   
Bill nodded understandingly. “I can wait. I would wait  _ forever _ for you, Hillary Rodham.”   
“Thank you  _ so _ much,” Hillary said, smiling softly at him.    
“No, thank  _ you _ for giving me another chance,” Bill retorted. “I don’t deserve one.”    
“Just don’t hurt me again,” Hillary vulnerably replied in a quiet voice. She looked down. “Because I really wouldn't be able to take it.”    
“I won’t,” Bill assured her, staring at her softly. “I promise.”    
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”   
Bill nodded in return and leaned over to give Hillary a gentle peck on the cheek. “Do you know how awful its been, not seeing your beautiful face every day?”   
“I think I have an idea,” Hillary quietly said. “It’s been absolutely horrible being apart from you for all this time.”   
Bill smiled at Hillary softly, just as they noticed Jessica stirring in her sleep.    
“Oh hey,” Bill quietly said as Jessica’s eyes slowly fluttered open.   
“Hey.” Jessica sleepily smiled.    
“Hi, sweetie,” Hillary said. “How are you feeling?”    
“A little better,” Jessica answered, now that she had some food and fluids in her.   
Hillary nodded as she gently stroked Jessica’s golden blonde hair. “Good. I’m glad.”   
“Mama,” Sophia cooed, reaching out for her mother after she realized her mom was awake.    
Bill passed her over to Jessica as Jessica reached for her daughter in return.    
“Hi, baby girl,” Jessica whispered, softly kissing her daughter’s cheek, eliciting a squeal from the toddler.    
Jessica softly smiled at her daughter.  “You can go home, Mom,” Jessica offered. “I know you must be exhausted, too.”    
“No.” Hillary adamantly shook her head. “I don’t want to leave you here. I’ll wait until you’re discharged and then take you home.”    
“Bill will be here,” Jessica pointed out. “I’m really okay now. I can probably go home in a little while.”   
“I’m not leaving, Jess,” Hillary insisted.    
“You are too stubborn, Mom.” Jessica chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes.    
“I know.” Hillary shrugged. “But its worked out for me this far in life.”    
Jessica chuckled again.    
“Besides, you take after me when it comes to stubbornness,” Hillary pointed out with a chuckle of her own.    
“Isn’t that the truth.” Bill laughed as Jessica playfully stuck her tongue out at him after that comment. “See what I mean?” Bill teased with a chuckle.    
“You and Sophia are staying with me for the next few days, Missy,” Hillary said, gently squeezing Jessica’s hand.    
“Mom.” Jessica sighed. “You don’t have to do that.”   
“Yes,” Hillary nodded. “I do. It’s my job to take care of you.”   
“I would like to come and spend more time with you,” Jessica realized.    
“Well.” Hillary shrugged and broadly smiled. “I guess its settled then.”   
Jessica gave Hillary a sleepy, weak smile and nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”    
Hillary softly smiled and lightly pecked Jessica’s forehead just as the two women noticed Sophia slowly starting to drift off to sleep in Jessica’s arms. “Don’t mention it. Now go back to sleep.”    
Jessica nodded and closed her eyes as she held Sophia close to her. Hillary lightly stroked her cheek until she heard Jessica’s breathing start to even out.    
“I can’t believe she’s all grown up now with a baby of her own,” Bill remarked, staring softly at his ex-wife, daughter, and granddaughter.    
“Thank you for being so great to her,” Hillary said softly, staring gratefully at Bill.    
“You don’t have to thank me.” Bill quietly chuckled. “I love her like she’s my own.”    
“And she really loves you.” Hillary smiled. “Always has.”    
Bill smiled and nodded.    
“My poor baby.” Hillary harshly sighed, feeling guilty. “I have to help her out more.”   
Bill reached over and gently rubbed Hillary’s back. “Hey, it’s not your fault, Hill.”    
“No, it  _ is _ my fault,” Hillary stated. She shook her head to herself and sighed again. “I knew she was struggling and needed help. But I was stupidly preoccupied with Scott.” She frowned and looked at the ground. “I feel just awful. Plus, I’ve been a horrible friend these past few months. I have no idea what’s going on in Betsy and Melissa’s lives. I haven’t checked up on them in _months_.”    
“Well, I’m sure they’re doing fine,” Bill said, trying to reassure his ex-wife.   
“I should call them,” Hillary mused out loud.    
Bill nodded. “I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Maybe I could go to Chicago for a visit some time.”    
“That would be nice.” Bill nodded.    
Hillary nodded again. “I miss my brothers, too. It would be a good distraction right now. Everyone could meet Cassandra. It’ll make me feel less lonely.”   
Bill nodded again.    
“And I guess I’ll have to sell the house,” Hillary suddenly realized. “Unless Scott wants it.” She shrugged.  “I feel awful.” Hillary shook her head and looked at the ground again. She closed her eyes as she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. “Scott and I  _ were _ happy together at one point. I don’t understand what happened.”   
Bill felt a wave of sadness wash over him, hearing Hillary talk about another man like that but he managed to control his emotions, in order to be supportive of his ex-wife.    
“I should call Chelsea and Hayley to check on them,” Hillary suddenly realized.    
Bill nodded in agreement as Hillary found her Blackberry in her purse.    
“Hello?” Chelsea answered after the first couple rings.    
“Hi, baby,” Hillary replied, smiling to herself, happy to hear Chelsea’s voice.    
“Oh, hey, Mom. How’s Jess doing?” Chelsea asked, having been told by her father earlier what had happened and what had been going on with her older sister.    
“She’s doing better,” Hillary answered. “We’re just waiting for the doctor to discharge her. I guess they’re a little backed up today.”    
“That’s good,” Chelsea replied, sounding relieved. “So everything is okay?”   
“Yep, everything’s fine,” Hillary assured her daughter. “We’ll be home soon. How’s Hayley?”   
“She’s great,” Chelsea reassured her mother. “She’s running around and playing. She’s, y’know, being Hayley.” Chelsea chuckled.    
Hillary chuckled at that, relieved to hear it. “That’s good. Tell her that we’ll be home very soon.”    
“Will do,” Chelsea said. “I guess I’ll see you guys later then.”    
“Okay, Chels,” Hillary said. “I love you.”   
“Love you, too, Mom,” Chelsea said.    
They said their goodbyes and hung up, just as a doctor and a nurse came into the room to discharge Jessica.    
Bill gently shook Jessica awake.    
“You’re free to go after you sign your discharge papers,” The doctor said, holding a clipboard out to Jessica just as Jessica slowly woke up from her nap.    
Jessica sleepily mumbled something before she nodded gratefully and grabbed the paperwork from the doctor. “Thank you.”   
Bill gently scooped up a still sleeping Sophia, being careful not to wake her up, so that Jessica could get ready to leave. The nurse disconnected Jessica from her IV while Hillary found Jessica’s clothes.    
  


“I’m fine, I can walk,” Jessica said as the nurse brought a wheelchair over a few minutes later after Jessica had changed out of her hospital gown and back into the black T-shirt and dark wash skinny jeans that she had been wearing when she was brought into the ER.    
“You are just like your mother,” Bill said, chuckling and shaking his head at his daughter.    
“Oh, hush,” Hillary lightly chided him.    
“I’m sorry, it’s hospital policy, Ms. Rodham,” the nurse said.    
“Just sit down, Jess,” Hillary urged.   
Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance but took a seat in the waiting wheelchair nonetheless.    
“I’m going to bring the car around,” Bill announced, passing Sophia over to Hillary.    
  


* * * * *

“I’m still so tired,” Jessica announced with a yawn once everyone was settled in the car a few minutes later.    
“I know, baby.” Hillary nodded understandingly. “We're almost home and then you can go straight to bed. Bill and I will watch Sophia for you.”    
Jessica nodded gratefully as she rested her head against the car’s headrest in the backseat. “Thank you.”    
“I’ll drop you four off at home first and then I’ll go to Jess’s and pick up Hayley and Chelsea,” Bill offered.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said, nodding gratefully as Bill started driving home.    
  


* * * * *   
  


“I’ll be right back,” Bill said, after he had walked Hillary, Jessica, Sophia, and Cassandra up to Hillary’s front porch a while later.    
Hillary nodded and stared at Bill gratefully. “Thank you  _ so _ much, Bill. For everything.”   
“Don’t mention it, Hillary,” Bill said, staring at her tenderly in return.    
“Yeah, thanks, Bill,” Jessica echoed, smiling at him softly.    
Bill nodded. “No problem, sweetheart.” He leaned over and lightly pecked the top of Jessica’s head. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”    
Jessica and Hillary nodded before they entered the house.    
“God, this place is a mess,” Hillary remarked, as Jessica and Hillary took in the mess and the damage from the wild party that Scott had thrown the night before. There were empty pizza boxes, garbage, broken bottles of alcohol, empty plastic cups, and other evidence of a wild party strewn all over the living and dining areas on the first floor.    
Hillary sadly sighed as she picked up a broken beer bottle.    
“Eww, gross.” Jessica scrunched up her nose in disgust as she observed the mess.   
Hillary sadly sighed again as she gently put the broken beer bottle back down. “Watch Cassandra for a bit. I need to go for a walk to clear my head.”   
Jessica nodded and watched as Hillary ran out of the house, not being able to stand being inside of it for another minute. 

As soon as she was outside, Hillary started hyperventilating. As she sunk down onto the porch steps, feeling her legs buckling underneath her, she suddenly started sobbing, not being able to hold it in any longer. 

* * * * *   
  
She was still sitting on the porch steps, crying quietly to herself when Bill returned with Chelsea and Hayley a few minutes later.    
“Mom?” Chelsea asked, with wide eyes, surprised to see her mom so visibly upset.    
Hillary quickly looked up at Chelsea and wiped away her tears, not wanting her kids to see her in that state. “Oh, hey, Chels. Don't worry about me. I’m fine. How are you doing?” She stood up to give Chelsea a hug.   
“I’m fine,” Chelsea assured her mom, hugging her mom in return.   
“Will you take Hayley to play in the backyard for a bit?” Hillary asked Chelsea after they broke apart, not wanting her daughters to see the mess inside.    
“Um, sure,” Chelsea said with a confused expression on her face. Getting a feeling that something was going on, wordlessly she grabbed Hayley’s hand and took her younger sister down the side of the house and into the backyard.    
Bill grabbed Hillary’s hand and sat down with her on the porch steps. “What’s going on, Hill?” He asked, frowning, worried for his ex-wife’s emotional state and wellbeing.    
“Go inside and see for yourself,” Hillary replied with a bitter laugh.   
“That’s okay,” Bill said, staring at her softly. “I’ll stay out here with you if that's okay.”   
“Scott had a wild party last night and there’s a huge mess inside,” Hillary explained in a quiet voice as she suddenly teared up again and her voice cracked. “I just don’t know what is so wrong with me that every man I’ve ever been with has hurt me or cheated on me.” She sadly shook her head to herself. “No one wants me. No one ever has. But you and Scott made me  _ feel _ like you did.”    
Bill gently squeezed Hillary’s hand reassuringly. “We are clearly idiots, Hillary.  _ Nothing _ is wrong with you. Absolutely nothing. You are the literal definition of perfection. In every way. Both inside and out. I’ve always wanted you and I still do.”   
“I don’t believe you.” Hillary shook her head and looked down.    
“Hillary, you have no idea how much I love you,” Bill said, feeling horrible for the way his behaviour had made Hillary feel over the years. “You’re the first person I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last person I think of before I go to sleep at night. I want you  _ so _ so badly, Hill. I always have. I love you so much. I love every single thing about you, Hillary." He grabbed her chin as Hillary looked over at him softly. "You are literally the best thing that  _ ever _ happened to me," Bill continued. "There is not  _ one _ thing I would change about you."   
Hillary looked down, still not quite believing Bill's words.   
"I mean it, Hillary," Bill said, gently tipping her chin upwards so that she would look at him. "I know that I made so many mistakes in our marriage and I shouldn't have done the things I did but that doesn't change how incredible you are or how I feel about you."  He stared deeply into her aqua blue eyes.   
"I'm just really confused right now," Hillary admitted in a quiet voice.   
"I understand and I'm sorry," Bill replied softly, nodding. "I'll leave you alone while you figure things out."   
Hillary nodded. "I know you understand me though. You know me better than anyone. So thank you for that."   
Bill nodded before he leaned down and placed a long, deep kiss on the top of Hillary's forehead. "I'll be here for you no matter what."   
Hillary nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much."   
"You don't have to thank me." He gently and reassuringly squeezed her hand one last time before he stood up to go join Chelsea and Hayley in the backyard.   
“Bill!” Hillary called after him after he started walking away. “Wait!”   
He turned around and looked at her curiously. “Yes?”   
Without saying anything Hillary quickly ran into his arms. Slightly taken by surprise but in a good way, Bill scooped her up into his embrace and hugged her tightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him.    
“I’ve got you,” he soothingly whispered in her ear. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he calmly whispered before he lightly pecked Hillary’s lips.  “It’s you. You’re the one,” Bill suddenly whispered, leading her back over to the porch.    
“You’re the one for me, too, Bill,” Hillary whispered, nodding. “I just need...to figure some things out.”    
Bill nodded. “I know. And I know I already told you this but I’ll wait for you as long as you need me to. Because I just want you, Hillary. All of you. Forever.”    
“I want you, too,” Hillary admitted, giving Bill a longing stare. “Please wait for me. I can’t tell you how long I need you to wait and I’m so sorry.” She looked away from Bill, feeling guilty.    
“I’ll wait for you, Hillary. As long as it takes. I swear that I’ll wait.”   
Hillary nodded and stared at Bill gratefully. “Thank you.”   
“In the meantime,” Bill said as he wrapped his arms around Hillary again. “Please know that whatever you need, I’m here for you.”    
Hillary nodded again. She stared at him for another moment before she leaned in and slowly and deeply gave Bill a loving and passionate kiss. She pulled away after a few moments and gave him a sly smile. “Something to look forward to.”    
  


* * * * * *

When the two of them walked back inside the house together a few minutes later, Jessica had grabbed a garbage bag and had started cleaning up.    
“You don’t have to do this, Jessie,” Hillary said with a sad sigh. “I can handle it.”    
“Let me help,” Jessica offered as she swept up some broken glass into a dustpan and dumped it into the trash bag.    
“No, sweetie.” Hillary shook her head. “You need to go lay down.”   
“Yeah, we’ve got this, honey,” Bill said, wanting Jessica to go rest. "Don’t worry.”    
Jessica nodded and shrugged. “Okay, then.” She scooped up Sophia from the couch. “Sophie and I will be upstairs in my old room then.”    
Hillary nodded.    
“You might want to put on gloves,” Jessica added, with a scrunched up nose.   
Hillary just nodded again and harshly sighed.    
“I’m really sorry, Mom,” Jessica said awkwardly.    
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Hillary said with a bitter chuckle. “I’ll come check on you in a bit.”   
Jessica nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”    
“Hillary, you should relax, too,” Bill offered as Jessica and Sophia went upstairs. “I can clean all this up.”    
Hillary shook her head. “This is  _ my _ mess. I have to clean it up.”    
“This isn’t your fault, Hillary. It’s  _ Scott’s _ mess,” Bill shook his head in disgust at his ex-wife’s current husband. “You and Cassandra should go take a nap upstairs. Really, I can handle this.”   
“Are you sure?” Hillary checked.    
“Of course,” Bill assured her with a boyish smile.    
Hillary gave him a grateful smile.    
“Now go rest,” Bill said quietly as he grabbed the broom from where Jessica had left it.   
Hillary nodded before she took Cassandra upstairs to Jessica’s room and crawled into bed with Jessica and Sophia.   
“Hi.” Jessica gave her mom a sleepy smile.    
“Hey, sweetie,” Hillary said softly as she laid down beside Jessica with Sophia in between them and cuddled Cassandra against her chest. She weakly smiled as Sophia snuggled up to her. “How are you feeling?”    
Jessica shrugged. “I’m okay.”   
“I wish you were better than okay,” Hillary said with a frown, still feeling incredibly guilty.   
“I will be soon,” Jessica reassured her mother. "After a good night's rest."   
Hillary reached over with her free hand and gently ran her fingers through Jessica’s hair. “I love you so much, Jessica. I just want you to be happy. That’s all I want.”   
“And I want  _ you _ to be happy,” Jessica replied.    
Hillary weakly smiled as she continued stroking Jessica’s hair and Cassandra quietly cooed and gurgled.    
“My sweet girls.” Hillary softly smiled.    
Jessica weakly smiled in return. “We just need Chelsea and Hayley.”    
“I’ll go get them and they can join us,” Hillary offered. “God, they probably hate me,” she realized with a wide eyed expression.    
“They do not!” Jessica exclaimed. “They love you, Mom. We all do.”    
“I’ve blown them off so much the past few months,” Hillary suddenly realized, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.    
“Maybe we could all go out for breakfast tomorrow?” Jessica suggested. “With Bill.” It would be a start in the right direction again.    
“Yeah, that sounds really nice.” Hillary nodded. “I could really go for some waffles.”    
“It’s settled then,” Jessica said quietly with a smile. “Family breakfast tomorrow morning it is.”    
Hillary nodded again. “I’m excited.” She sadly sighed. “Scott doesn’t like me eating carbs.” She bitterly chuckled to herself and shook her head. “Hell, I don’t like eating carbs anymore either. I was practically starving myself before I got pregnant with Cassandra.”    
“I noticed.” Jessica frowned. “But starting tomorrow, we’re  _ both  _ going to start taking proper care of ourselves. Okay?”   
“Okay.” Hillary nodded.    
Jessica weakly smiled and nodded. “Good.” She suddenly got an idea and gave her mother a conspiratorial grin. “Hey, do you want to order a pizza for dinner?”   
“That sounds absolutely perfect.” Hillary grinned, feeling truly happy and content for the first time in days. Hell, maybe even weeks or months she suddenly realized.    
Jessica smiled excitedly and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand.    
“You order the pizza, sweetheart, while I go take a bath,” Hillary said. 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh, I was so excited to write and post this chapter. It has so many Hillary and Jessica and Bill and Hillary moments that I loved writing so I hope you enjoyed reading them. I was feeling alllllll the feels while writing the ending of this chapter lol. 
> 
> Sorry if I scared anyone with the ending of the last chapter lol but as Bella pointed out in her comment on the last chapter, something needed to happen to Jessica for Hillary to start to wake up. Not anything too serious but yes, something needed to happen to Jessica as a part of Hillary's reckoning with herself. 
> 
> I think that's everything that I wanted to say about this chapter and it is way past my bedtime. I'm too tired to think right now lol so goodnight or good morning, depending on where you are in the world and until next time! :)


	30. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to update Friday night but I had a long week at work and crashed HARD Friday night lol. So I hope that this nice, long update makes up for it :)
> 
> Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts/ideation.

One week later, Cassandra cooed happily from her car seat in the backseat while Hillary was driving to go visit Scott for the first time since he'd finally checked himself into rehab.   
Hillary smiled to herself as she heard Cassandra happily cooing and gurgling away in the back. "You're happy today aren't you, baby girl? You must be excited to see your daddy," she said as she finally arrived at the rehab facility after a long drive and found a parking spot. "Here goes nothing," she nervously said to herself as she grabbed Cassandra from the backseat and entered the rehab center.   
After checking in at the front desk, she took Cassandra into a lounge area for their visit with Scott where her current husband was waiting for them at a table.   
"Hey," Scott greeted with a weak smile as Hillary pulled out a chair and sat down in the uncomfortable plastic chair across from her husband.   
"Hi. Hillary softly smiled as Scott immediately scooped up Cassandra from her car seat and gently cradled her against his chest.   
"Wow, she's already getting so big," Scott remarked as he stared down at the baby girl in his arms.   
"Yeah," Hillary flatly said, nodding. "So, um, how have you been doing?" She awkwardly cleared her throat, wanting to get the visit over with as soon as possible.   
"I'm okay," Scott answered, nodding. He sadly sighed. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened. I really do care about you, Hillary."   
Hillary just nodded and didn't say anything in return.   
"Maybe we can work on our marriage once I'm out of here?" Scott gently suggested in a hopeful tone of voice as he stared softly at Hillary.   
"We'll see," Hillary said blankly.   
"We'll see?" Scott sounded incredulous. "You're my _wife_ , Hillary."   
"I know." Hillary nervously swallowed. "I just don't know if I can trust you going forward. You hurt me more than you could ever imagine." She sighed and continued. "I'm not happy with you, Scott. And if I'm being totally honest, I haven't been for a while." She looked away from him.   
"Please," Scott begged. "Just give me one more chance, Hillary."   
"I don't want to be with you anymore, Scott," Hillary quietly said, shaking her head.   
"But Hillary..." Scott gave her a pleading look. "I won't have anything left to live for."   
"Stop saying that," Hillary firmly said. "You have a successful career but more important than that you have Cassandra now. Cassandra is absolutely perfect. I mean just look at her." She gestured towards her daughter who was still in Scott's arms.  "She needs her daddy," Hillary added, her voice cracking slightly.   
"You're perfect too," Scott said as he gave Hillary an intense stare.   
"But we're just not right for each other, Scott," Hillary insisted.   
"I can be right for you though," Scott pleaded.  _ "Please _ give me another chance, Hill."   
Hillary shook her head. "I'm still in love with Bill, Scott," she whispered.   
Scott harshly sighed and shook his head to himself. "Hillary..."   
"I'm so sorry, Scott," Hillary apologized in a shaky voice. "I never meant to hurt you like this."   
"Fine," Scott said, nodding. "I'll kill myself then and you'll never have to see me again."   
"Stop it, Scott!" Hillary exclaimed. "You can't just guilt me into staying with you.  If Cassandra isn't a good enough reason for you to want to keep living then I don't know what to tell you."   
"She doesn't need me." Scott shook his head. "She's probably better off without me anyways." He sadly sighed. Just go home, Hillary." He put Cassandra back in her car seat.   
"Scott, look at her!" Hillary exclaimed with wide eyes. "She's your daughter, Scott." She stared at her husband softly. "You need to be a part of her life."   
"Please just go, Hillary," Scott said while shaking his head. "This hurts too much."   
"You need to pull yourself together, Scott!" Hillary demanded.   
"But I need  _ you _ !" Scott begged. "I need to be with you. I need you to love  _ me _ ."   
"Then you should have thought of that before you betrayed me in every way imaginable," Hillary pointed out.   
"Damn it, I'm trying to apologize, Hillary!" Scott exclaimed. "I would do absolutely _anything_ for you, Hill."   
"And I'm trying to be honest with you, Scott," Hillary said quietly. "I'm still willing to support you as a friend. I want you to be a part of Cassandra's life. I just can't be  _ with _ you anymore."   
"Do you know how horrible you're making me feel, Hillary?" Scott replied, angrily shaking his head. "I'm in love with everything about you and you're kicking me to the curb when I need you the most."   
"I know and I'm sorry." Hillary frowned to herself. "I just can't do this anymore but that doesn't mean that I won't be there for you as a friend if you need me. Okay?"   
"No, you could be with me still," Scott angrily retorted. "You're just too fucking selfish." He gave Hillary a look of disgust.    
"Scott." Hillary harshly sighed and shook her head. “I can’t spend the rest of my life with  _ you _ if I’m in love with someone else.” She sadly shook her head and teared up.    
“And I can’t spend the rest of my life  _ without _ you!” Scott pleaded. “So, we’ll see how this ends.” He shrugged.    
“Scott, stop it!” Hillary begged, knowing what he was implying.    
“Why?” Scott scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You just want me to sit back and watch while you and Cassandra start a new life with Bill?”   
“No.” Hillary shook her head. “I want you to get better so that you can be a father to our child.”   
Scott sadly shook his head. “We were supposed to raise her together in  _ our  _ house and to love her and give her everything.”    
“We can still love her and give her everything, Scott,” Hillary pointed out.    
“No, this isn't fair!” Scott angrily exclaimed. “We did everything right. We got married and bought a house and had a baby together! I’m sorry that _ I  _ messed up!”   
“We can’t change the past. I just want to move on.” Hillary nervously swallowed. “You should move on, too.”   
“I can’t.” Scott sadly shook his head again.   
“You  _ can _ , Scott,” Hillary insisted. “I swear, you’ll find somebody who is so much better suited for you than I am.”   
“No woman will want me for me.” He shook his head. “They’ll want the money. And I see that you’re no different apparently.”   
“I don’t want your money, Scott,” Hillary insisted. “I just want to be happy again.”   
“Why don’t I make you happy?” Scott sincerely asked.    
“Because I can’t be myself around you,” Hillary explained. She sadly sighed. “I just don’t want this life anymore. I’m not cut out for it. Now you can find some glamorous, beautiful, younger woman and you’ll be  _ so _ much happier. I promise.”   
“No.” Scott shook his head. “I’ll be happy when I finally kill myself.”   
“Scott, stop it!” Hillary exclaimed. “I know you. You’re not going to _actually_ kill yourself.”   
“Yes, I am!” Scott yelled.    
Hillary rolled her eyes before she stormed out of the room in search of one of the centre's addiction counsellors.    
“Is everything alright?” One of the staff members said, coming up to Hillary, having heard the yelling.    
“Not really,” Hillary said. “My husband needs a psych evaluation. He’s talking about suicide and he needs help.”    
“We’ll look into it,” the rehab technician said to Hillary.   
“Thank you.” Hillary nodded before she walked back inside the lounge. Scott angrily glared at her as she sat back down.    
“I don’t know why you hate me,” he bitterly said.    
“I don’t hate you,” Hillary said.    
“Just go.” Scott angrily shook his head.    
“Scott.” Hillary sighed. “They’re watching you in here. You won’t be able to do anything  _ too _ drastic, you know?”   
“Which is why I’m waiting until I get out of here,” Scott threatened. “I’ll do it at home and maybe you’ll get the pleasure of finding me,” he sinisterly added.    
Hillary felt a chill run up her spine.    
“Isn’t that what you want?” Scott asked. “To be rid of me?”   
“No, of course not!” Hillary exclaimed. “I want Cassandra to have a father for God’s sake!”    
“She would have Bill,” Scott bitterly said. “Don’t worry about that.” He bitterly chuckled.    
“Bill isn’t her father!” Hillary argued. “You are!”    
“Well, he’ll have to be.” Scott shrugged.    
“I’m leaving, Scott. You are being completely ridiculous,” Hillary said with tears glistening in her eyes.    
Scott nodded. “You don’t have to visit anymore. I don’t need to get attached to Cassandra any further.”    
“Pull yourself together, Scott, or I’ll kill you myself!” Hillary suddenly loudly yelled as her body was trembling with anger.    
A staff member and one of the addiction counsellors heard Hillary yelling and came running over.    
“You should leave now, Mrs. Graham,” the counsellor gently said.    
Hillary took a deep calming breath and nodded, realizing she’d been kicked out. Wordlessly, she picked up her purse and Cassandra’s car seat and stood up. “Bye, Scott,” she said flatly.    
Scott waved slightly. “I’ll um, talk to you later I guess.”    
Hillary nodded. “Sure. We can talk later.”    
  


* * * * * 

When Hillary arrived back home a few hours later, she entered the foyer of her home and brushed away the remaining tears that she had cried on the drive home. With a sniffle, she put down her purse and entered the living room with Cassandra. Bill was cuddled up on the couch with Sophia and Hayley while they all watched a Disney movie together. He looked up as Hillary entered the room and watched as she took a seat on the couch beside him.    
“How did it go?” He asked curiously, giving Hillary a concerned look.    
“Badly,” Hillary admitted, as she rubbed her tired eyes, smudging her mascara slightly. “Where are Jess and Chelsea?”    
“Upstairs,” Bill answered. “Jessica’s in bed with stomach cramps and Chelsea’s keeping her company.”   
“Oh, no.” Hillary frowned. “Poor baby. Can you watch Cassandra while I check on them?”   
“Of course.” Bill weakly smiled as he accepted Cassandra from Hillary and held the baby close to him.    
“Thanks. Be right back,” Hillary said before she headed upstairs to check on her oldest daughters.    
  


She gently knocked on Jessica’s bedroom door a minute later. “Jess?” She poked her head inside and saw her two oldest daughters watching a movie together.    
“Hmmm?” Jessica said, noticing her mother enter the room.    
“You okay?” Hillary checked as she noticed Jessica was curled up in bed with Chelsea, clutching her stomach as Chelsea grabbed the television remote and paused the movie.    
“I’m okay.” Jessica sadly sighed. “Do you have any Midol?”   
“I think I have some in my room,” Chelsea offered. “I’ll check.”    
“Thanks, Chels,” Jessica gratefully said as Chelsea got out of bed.    
“Thanks, honey,” Hillary echoed as Chelsea left the room.    
“How’s Scott doing?” Jessica asked her mother curiously as Hillary sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at Jessica.    
“He’s not well.” Hillary sadly shook her head. “He’s insane.”    
Jessica frowned, her brow furrowing in concern.    
“He’s still suicidal.” Hillary shook her head in disbelief again.    
“Well, hopefully he’ll get the help that he needs,” Jessica quietly said.   
Hillary sadly sighed and nodded. “I hope so,” she said, more so for Cassandra’s sake than her own.    
“It’s probably just the effects from the detox and the withdrawals, mom,” Jessica supplied with a small shrug. “I read that it causes mood swings.”   
Hillary nodded and harshly sighed again. “I know. I just want him to get clean and sober for Cassandra’s sake. Then I can move on without feeling guilty.”    
Jessica weakly smiled and nodded understandingly.    
“I want to be with Bill but we haven’t really talked about things because I want to officially finish things with Scott first,” Hillary explained. “I really didn’t want to break Scott’s heart this way. I just can’t be happy if I stay with him.”    
“I understand.” Jessica nodded again. “Maybe you should try calling him later?”    
Hillary sadly sighed and nodded. “Maybe.”    
“You should go talk to Bill, Mom,” Jessica said with a soft smile. “He’ll make you feel better.”    
“Things are still kind of awkward between us though,” Hillary said, biting her lip.    
“ I know but you’ve been so different this week since he’s been around more,” Jessica supplied. “You’ve been your old self again.” She hesitated before she quietly added, “You’ve looked and seemed really happy this week, Mom.”   
Hillary weakly smiled and looked taken aback. “Really?”   
“Really.” Jessica grinned and nodded.    
“He makes me feel happy,” Hillary whispered.    
“So go be with him,” Jessica urged as Chelsea came back to Jessica’s bedroom with a bottle of Midol in hand.    
“Okay.” Hillary nodded slightly before she lightly pecked Jessica’s cheek and squeezed Chelsea’s shoulder on her way out of the room before she went downstairs and joined Bill in the living room.    


“Hi,” Bill said softly, seeing her entering the room.    
“Hey,” Hillary smiled softly as she sat down beside him on the couch.    
“Mama!” Hayley excitedly said, crawling onto Hillary’s lap.   
“Hi, baby girl,” Hillary grinned, as Hayley cuddled up to her while Hillary tightly squeezed her in return.   
“You okay?” Bill checked, squeezing Hillary’s thigh reassuringly.    
“Not really,” Hillary admitted with a shrug. “But I will be.”   
“Anything I can do?” Bill offered.    
Hillary shook her head and sighed. “I’m just tired of being unhappy.”   
“And what would make you happy?” Bill asked softly, staring tenderly at his ex-wife.    
“You,” Hillary whispered, staring tenderly at Bill in return.    
Bill smiled softly as he stared down at her. “I’ll make you happy,” he promised.    
“You already do,” Hillary offered with a soft smile. “You know me  _ so _ well. I don’t have to pretend to be someone that I’m not when I'm around you.”   
“You shouldn’t pretend to be someone you’re not,” Bill replied. “You’re absolutely perfect  _ just _ the way you are. Okay?”    
Hillary nodded and sadly sighed. “I was just expected to be this perfect, glamorous woman when I was around Scott and all his fancy, rich friends. And you know that that isn’t me.”   
“Well, I think you’re perfect in your own unique, beautiful way,” Bill supplied, squeezing her hand gently.    
“Don’t say that.” Hillary shook her head.    
“I mean it.”    
“Well, thanks.” Hillary sighed.    
Bill weakly smiled and nodded. “I miss you, you know?”    
“I miss you, too,” Hillary weakly smiled. She shakily sighed again. “But I’m breaking Scott’s heart. I feel so guilty.”   
“Oh well,” Bill shrugged, knowing that that horrible man didn’t deserve any sympathy at all.    
“No, not ‘oh well,"” Hillary shook her head. “I need to fix things between us. I don’t want to get back together with him but I  _ do _ need to figure some things out still.”   
“Fine.” Bill nodded understandingly, somewhat understanding what Hillary was getting at.    
“I’m going to try and call him,” Hillary said, looking at the clock on the DVD player and realizing that it was the time of day that the patients got their phone privileges.    
Bill nodded, trying to be supportive, as Hillary passed Hayley back over to him. He watched as Hillary got up from the couch and disappeared upstairs.    
  


* * * * *

Hillary sat down on her bed and grabbed the phone from its cradle on the nightstand. She dialed the rehab center and quickly got connected to Scott.    
“Hey,” Scott gruffly answered.    
“Hi,” Hillary said quietly.    
“Did you make it home okay?” Scott checked.    
“Yeah,” Hillary said softly.    
Scott harshly sighed. “Listen, Hillary. I’m really sorry about all that I said earlier but I’m just telling you the truth. I won’t  _ ever _ be happy without you.”   
“And I don’t think that I can ever be happy  _ with _ you,” Hillary quietly retorted. “Scott, if you really love me the way you say you do, then you should understand how awful it feels for me to not be able to be with Bill. He’s the love of my life.”    
“Bill is scum,” Scott bitterly spat into the phone. “Literal scum.” His tone suddenly became softer and gentler. “You deserve so much better, sweetheart.  _ Please _ give me another chance."   
“Bill is  _ not _ scum!” Hillary firmly said. “He’s made his mistakes in the past, yes, but...he’s a wonderful man, okay?”    
“No, he’s a piece of shit, Hillary!” Scott exclaimed. “I’m the perfect man for you. I can give you anything you want. Just ask for it and it's yours.”   
“I’m not interested in your money, Scott,” Hillary said. She sighed. “As I’ve told you repeatedly, I just want to be happy again.”    
“Well, then,  _ please _ let me make you happy.  _ Please _ ,” Scott begged.    
“You can’t,” Hillary frantically whispered.    
“Damn it, yes I can!” Scott exclaimed. “I love you, Hillary!”    
“But I’m not in love with you anymore,” Hillary sadly sighed with a sigh. “I’m so sorry, Scott.”    
“No, you’re not fucking sorry!” Scott suddenly yelled. “Don’t even fucking say that.” He scoffed into the phone.   
“Listen, I’m sorry that it's come to this but I can’t change the way that I feel,” Hillary simply explained.    
“Why did you lead me on like this, Hillary?” Scott angrily asked. “Why did you fucking marry me then? Why did we have a baby together?”    
“Because I _was_ in love with you!” Hillary exclaimed. “I  _ thought _ I wanted to be with you forever. It just didn’t work out the way either of us expected it to, okay?”   
“Okay. Fine. And I’m telling you that you’ll never have to worry about seeing me ever again,” Scott said.    
“You sound  _ insane _ , Scott.”    
“I don’t care. I’m sorry for loving you and for giving you every fucking thing you ever asked for. It made me such a shitty husband,” Scott sarcastically retorted.    
“Marriage isn’t just about money and material objects, Scott!” Hillary argued.    
“I know that!” Scott yelled in return. “I love you  _ so _ much, Hillary. I don’t know what I did wrong, other than getting hooked on drugs again. And I’m getting help for that.”    
“Well, you also cheated on me, but besides that, you don’t just let me be  _ me,  _ Scott. You expect me to be somebody that I’m not,” Hillary explained. “You don’t love  _ me _ . You love the  _ idea _ of me.”    
“Fine, just leave then,” Scott angrily said. “And when I wind up dead, just know that you’re the reason.”   
“Scott, stop being selfish,” Hillary said with a sad sigh. “You’re not going to actually kill yourself.”   
“Yes, I am, Hillary,” Scott said, sounding deadly serious. “I won’t have anything else left to live for. And don’t say I have Cassandra because I’d rather be dead before I let her be around Bill.”    
“Scott, you can still be her father even if we’re separated!” Hillary argued.    
“Fine, I’ll sue you for custody. Hell, I’ll just take her and you’ll never see either of us again,” Scott threatened.    
“Don’t you dare!” Hillary suddenly loudly screamed into the phone. “Don’t you  _ even  _ think about taking her away from me! No judge would ever grant you custody of her!”    
Having heard Hillary yelling, Bill came into the bedroom to see what was going on.    
Hillary looked at him and covered the receiver with her hand. “Please go away, Bill. Just give me a minute.”   
Bill looked at her and hesitated before he decided to respect her wishes and give her space. He slowly left the room.    
“Wait, you’re with him right fucking now!” Scott suddenly exclaimed. “You Bitch!” He angrily huffed into the phone. “So it’s alright for  _ you _ to cheat on me?”   
“I haven’t cheated, Scott!” Hillary exclaimed. “He’s just here as a friend.”    
“Whatever,” Scott harshly sighed. “Tell Cassandra that daddy loves her and he’s sorry that he won’t get to see her grow up.”    
“Scott, don’t do this,” Hillary warned.    
“I have to.”   
“Scott!” Hillary desperately pleaded.    
“Shut up, Hillary. It’s not like you care.”   
“But I do!” Hillary insisted.    
“Bullshit,” Scott retorted. “Don’t come see me again. Just tell Cassandra that I love her.”   
Hillary frowned to herself. “Scott…”   
“What?” Scott snapped. “Don’t call me anymore either! You don’t want to be with me then don’t fucking be with me!”    
“We can still be friendly for Cassandra’s sake!” Hillary argued.    
“I wish we could,” Scott bitterly said before he angrily hung up the phone.    
Hillary sighed to herself as she put the phone back in its cradle. She rubbed her eyes before she decided to go find Bill.    
  


When she arrived downstairs, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight in front of her as Bill cuddled with Hayley and Sophia on the living room couch while Cassandra was sleeping soundly in her bassinet.    
“Hi, Mama!” Hayley happily said, seeing her mother enter the room.    
Hillary weakly smiled. “Hi, baby.”    
She sat down on the couch with them and Hayley crawled into her lap.    
“Mama!” Sophia suddenly started loudly crying for Jessica.    
“Let’s go find your mommy, sweetheart,” Bill said before he scooped his granddaughter up and carried her upstairs to Jessica’s room.    


Chelsea was tip toeing out of the room when he arrived upstairs. “She just fell asleep.”    
Bill nodded understandingly before he quietly entered the room.    
“Mama!” Sophia loudly wailed as tears streamed down her little cheeks.    
“Okay, shhhh,” Bill gently soothed before he quietly crept over to Jessica’s bed and gently shook her. “Jess?”    
“What?” Jessica quietly groaned as she woke up. She tiredly squinted up at Bill.    
“Sophia wants you,” Bill said.    
Jessica nodded and held her arms out for her daughter. “Mommy’s tummy hurts,” she explained as she took her daughter from Bill's arm.    
“Mama!” Sophia sobbed.    
“Okay, shhh, I’m holding you now,” Jessica soothed, as she cuddled her baby girl close to her. “Mommy’s tired. Let’s nap together, Princess.”    
Bill softly smiled at the two of them as he pulled Jessica's blanket up and around the two of them, tucking them in, before he decided to rejoin Hillary and Hayley downstairs.    
  


When he arrived back downstairs to the living room, Chelsea had taken Hayley to the playroom and Hillary was quietly crying to herself. Bill frowned and sat down beside her on the couch.   
“I’m just so stressed out,” Hillary sniffled.    
Bill sadly sighed and quietly wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, everything will work out eventually, Hill.”   
“What if he really does kill himself?” Hillary asked, the worry, guilt and fear evident in her eyes. “I’d never be able to live with myself.”   
“I really don’t think he’ll do anything to hurt himself, sweetie,” Bill said quietly. “At least he’s in rehab where his behavior is being monitored. It’s probably just the withdrawals talking. Okay?” He soothingly rubbed Hillary’s back.    
“You think so?” Hillary asked, sniffling again.    
Yeah,” Bill nodded reassuringly. “I really do.”    
Hillary nodded. “I hope you’re right.”    
“I am,” Bill said before he lightly pecked the top of Hillary’s head. “Don’t worry, darling.”   
“I can’t believe how selfish he’s being.” She sadly shook her head and sighed.    
Bill suddenly leaned in and kissed her, trying to cheer her up.    
Hillary smiled into the kiss and passionately started kissing him back before Bill suddenly pulled away.   
“Sorry,” he apologized.    
“No, it’s okay.” Hillary weakly smiled.    
“We can take it slow,” Bill assured her.    
Hillary nodded. “Thanks.”   
“I want a cookie, please,” Hayley suddenly sweetly said, as she came running into the living room from the playroom and ran over to the couch while Chelsea ran into the living room close behind her younger sister.    
“There are some in the kitchen,” Hillary said, chuckling at her daughter's adorableness.   
“Now that Scott isn’t around to be a carb nazi,” Bill teased as he grabbed Hayley’s hand.    
Hillary smirked at the comment before she chuckled again. “Bring me one, too, please. Hell, bring me five.”    
Bill grinned conspiratorially at her. “Be right back.” 

* * * * * *   


He returned to the living room a few minutes later with the container of chocolate chip cookies, so that the family could all share them.    
“Yay, cookies!” Hayley excitedly squealed.    
Hillary softly smiled at her daughter and took one. “I’ve missed cookies.”    
Bill smiled at her softly as he nibbled on his cookie.    
“And I despised that personal trainer,” Hillary chuckled.    
“You don’t need one anyways,” Bill said. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”   
Hillary scoffed. “My ass is huge.”    
“Your ass is perfect,” Bill blurted out with a smirk, without thinking, not used to having to censor his thoughts around Hillary.    
Hillary’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. “Well, thanks, I guess.”   
“Sorry, I’m just not used to having to censor myself around you,” Bill explained, seeing Hillary blush. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”   
“I’m not uncomfortable,” Hillary assured him with a sly smile.    
“Oh, okay,” Bill said with a relieved smile. He nodded. “Good.”   
Hillary smiled before she grabbed another cookie. “This is nice. Being with you.”    
Chelsea smiled to herself, as she watched her parents getting along again. This moment almost felt like old times again.   
“I completely agree,” Bill said softly.    
“I’ve missed you,” Hillary admitted quietly as she cuddled up to Bill on the couch, forgetting that Chelsea and Hayley were there.    
Hayley squealed as she watched her parents cuddle up to each other. Bill wrapped his arms around Hillary's shoulders, squeezing her slightly.   
Hillary smiled over at Hayley.    
“Mama and daddy!” Hayley excitedly squealed. “No Scott!” She happily giggled and clapped her hands just as Jessica came downstairs with Sophia in her arms.    
“Hey, guys,” Jessica said, as she sat down in an armchair in the living room and got Sophia settled on her lap.    
“Hi.” Hillary softly smiled over at them.    
“What are you guys up to?” Jessica asked.    
“We’re just eating cookies,” Hillary chuckled to herself, feeling truly happy and content for the first time in forever.    
“Nice,” Jessica chuckled as she watched everybody enjoying their afternoon treat. “Ugh, I want cheesecake.”    
“Well, we don’t have any cheesecake right now but have a cookie,” Bill offered, holding the container out to Jessica.    
Jessica nodded and grabbed one. “Ugh, I’m so hungry right now. Stupid period cravings.”   
Aww, honey," Hillary gave Jessica a sympathetic chuckle.   
"Can we have fettuccine alfredo for dinner tonight?" Jessica asked.   
"Sure." Hillary nodded, knowing that it was Jessica's favorite, before she suddenly groaned. "Ugh, I don't feel like cooking tonight."   
"I can cook," Bill offered.   
"No, that's okay," Hillary said before she groaned again as she remembered something. "Ugh, I have to go into the city actually. Scott's assistant wanted me to pick up some paperwork he has to sign."   
"They can't just courier it over?" Bill asked with a raised eyebrow.   
"I guess not." Hillary shrugged. "It's fine. I could use the drive to clear my head actually. I'll pick up some takeout for dinner on the way home."   
Bill, Jessica, and Chelsea nodded.   
"I'll be back in a couple of hours, you guys." Hillary said. "I'll take Cassandra with me in case she gets hungry."   
Bill nodded again.   
"Are you staying here in the guest room again tonight?" Hillary asked him with a hopeful look on her face.   
"If that's alright with you," Bill nodded.   
"Of course it is." Hillary softly smiled at him as she got Cassandra settled in her car seat. "Okay, I'll be back in a few hours, guys."   


* * * * * *   


An hour and a half later, Hillary stepped off of the elevator and walked into the sleek and modern lobby of the law firm where her husband was a managing partner.   
"Hi, I have an appointment with Rachel," Hillary said as she approached the reception area.   
The receptionist gave Hillary a kind and warm smile, recognizing Hillary as being Scott's wife. "Go on back. I'll let her know you're here."   
"Thank you," Hillary gratefully said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. With Cassandra's car seat in one hand and her purse in the other, she walked down the hallway towards Scott's corner office. She saw his Personal Assistant, Rachel sitting at her desk outside of the office, texting on her phone with Facebook open on her computer screen.   
“Rachel?” Hillary said.    
Rachel briefly looked up at Hillary before she rolled her eyes and went back to texting on her phone. Hillary was taken aback. Hadn’t Rachel been the one to reach out to  _ her _ to ask Hillary to go out of her way to come into the office to pick up the paperwork for Scott?    
“Do you have the paperwork, Rachel?” Hillary asked, wanting to get this visit over with so that she could get back on the road and make the long drive back to Connecticut as soon as possible.    
“Give me a minute,” Rachel said, scrolling through her facebook feed.    
Hillary sighed and tried not to get too visibly irritated. In all her years as a lawyer, she had never encountered an Executive Assistant who was as unprofessional as Rachel apparently was.    
“Listen, Rachel, I have a newborn and we have a long drive home so if you could get the paperwork together as soon as possible, that would be great,” Hillary said as kindly and as diplomatically as possible.    
Rachel huffed and got up from her desk with another eye roll before she disappeared into Scott’s office.    
Hillary sighed and took a seat in the waiting area while she waited for Rachel to come back. 

“Here,” Rachel said, visibly irritated as she passed a folder of papers over to Hillary a few minutes later.    
“Thank  _ you _ ,” Hillary said, a hint of fake niceness to her voice, hoping Rachel would get the hint. “You know, Rachel. Scott might not be back in the office for several weeks but one way or the other, your behavior and unprofessionalism  _ will _ get back to him somehow.”    
Hillary didn’t want to be a snitch nor have someone lose their job, but clearly Rachel was a terrible and unprofessional assistant.    
Rachel scoffed and suddenly gave Hillary a smug smirk before she sarcastically chuckled. “Scott isn’t going to fire me. We’ve been sleeping together for  _ months _ .” Her lips curled up into another smug smirk as she clearly found a sick kind of pleasure in revealing this news to her lover’s wife.    
Meanwhile, Hillary was taken aback and felt like she had just been slapped across the face. _Hard_. She slightly gasped and gave Rachel an ashen look while Rachel continued smirking. Without another word, Hillary shoved the paperwork into her purse and ran towards the elevators, feeling completely ashamed and humiliated. Scott cheating with random women he had met at a bar was one thing, but him having an affair with his personal assistant, that apparently had been going on for months, was a whole other matter entirely. 

* * * * * *   
  


When she finally arrived back home nearly two hours later, without even saying hello to her family, she quickly left a pizza and a brown paper takeout bag containing Jessica’s requested fettuccine alfredo on the kitchen counter before she stormed upstairs. After putting a now sleeping Cassandra in her bassinet, she closed the bedroom door and grabbed a suitcase from her closet. She started throwing clothes in at random, not being able to stand to be in the house that she once shared with Scott for another minute after Rachel’s revelation.   
“Hillary?” Bill tentatively entered the bedroom a few minutes later.    
Hillary ignored him and continued packing. She didn’t look up as she hastily folded a pair of jeans.    
“Where are you going?” Bill softly asked, trying to tread lightly.    
“I’ll go visit Betsy in Chicago,” Hillary absentmindedly said.    
“Oh, okay.” Bill nodded, trying to be supportive, wanting Hillary to do whatever she needed to do, even though he was confused why she was in such a tense mood all of a sudden. It was in stark contrast to how she had been behaving prior to driving to New York City. “Or...we could all go to Arkansas together? You could invite Betsy if you wanted?” Bill gently suggested.    
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” Hillary shook her head as she reached into a dresser drawer and grabbed a stack of neatly folded black leggings.    
“Okay…” Bill frowned. “What’s going on, Hill?”   
“Nothing.” Hillary shook her head, not feeling like discussing it with Bill. “Please just leave me alone, Bill. You and the kids should eat dinner.”   
Bill just nodded, wanting to give Hillary her space if that’s what she needed. He turned to leave the bedroom before he stopped himself. “If you need to go to Chicago or Arkansas to get away, then I fully support you. I think it would be good for you to get away, clear your head, and see some friends.”    
“I think I’ll go to Chicago then,” Hillary nodded. It would be nice to see Betsy and Melissa again after so much time had passed. She finally stopped packing and looked up at Bill. “You stay here though.”    
Bill nodded. “Fine,” he said quietly, realizing and recognizing that Hillary needed her space and privacy in that moment. He left the bedroom just as Hillary called out for her two oldest daughters.    
“Jessica! Chelsea!”   
  


“Yeah?” Jessica said, as the two girls came into Hillary’s bedroom a few minutes later. "What's up, Mom?"   
“Um, pack a bag or two. And please pack a bag for Hayley, too. We’re going to Chicago,” Hillary announced, nervously swallowing.    
“Cool!” Chelsea excitedly said. “Is Dad coming too?”   
“No.” Hillary shook her head.    
“That sucks.” Jessica frowned. “Why doesn’t he want to come, Mom?”   
“Because  _ I  _ don’t want him to come with us,” Hillary admitted as she resumed her packing.    
“Mom, that’s not fair,” Chelsea tried. “If we’re all going then he should get to come, too.”   
“This week has been nice, yes, but we’re not a family anymore, Chels,” Hillary said with a sad sigh.    
“And whose fault is that?” Chelsea suddenly asked, looking hurt. “Dad is still my family though!”    
“Please don’t yell at me,” Hillary asked, feeling like she was on the verge of a complete breakdown.    
“Well, I don’t want to go without Dad,” Chelsea explained in a calmer tone.    
“Well I’m not going with him and I’m not going without you,” Hillary retorted.    
“Mom, please?” Chelsea tried.    
“Fine!” Hillary suddenly yelled. “Fucking fine!”    
Chelsea and Jessica’s eyes both widened in shock, having never seen their mother lose it like that in the past.    
“He ruined everything!” Hillary suddenly choked out as she teared up.    
“Mom, please calm down,” Jessica tried, in a calm and quiet voice.    
“Your father left me!” Hillary cried, not being able to hold her emotions in any longer, Scott’s assistant’s admission seemingly triggering unresolved feelings and emotions from her past with Bill. “ _ He _ cheated on me! I hope everybody remembers that. It wasn’t the other way around. I was  _ so _ happy and then it all just fell apart!” She sobbed out before she sunk down on the edge of the bed. She sadly shook her head to herself. “Of course things with both your father and Scott were too good to be true.”   
Meanwhile Bill was listening from outside the bedroom. He sadly shook his head to himself, regretting all of his past mistakes, before he finally entered the bedroom.    
“Go downstairs and set the table for dinner,” He softly said to Jessica and Chelsea.    
The girls nodded and left the room without a word, wanting to give their parents some privacy to talk.   
Bill knelt down in front of Hillary and gently touched her knee. “You didn’t deserve what I did to you and I’m  _ so _ sorry, Hillary. What I did to you was the worst mistake I’ve made in my entire life,” he said softly, trying to keep his emotions intact.    
Hillary shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m starting to think that I  _ did _ deserve it.”   
“You didn’t.” Bill shook his head and flinched, hating that the person he loved most in the entire world felt that way about herself because of  _ his _ mistakes. “Oh, God, Hillary. You didn’t. Not at all.”   
“I just found out that Scott’s been sleeping with his secretary for months,” Hillary quietly admitted. Even though her marriage to Scott was basically over, the knowledge that he had been doing that behind her back for months, especially when she had been pregnant with  _ their  _ child, still stung. She looked down. “What’s so wrong with me?” She asked Bill in a voice that was barely above a whisper.    
“Absolutely nothing at all!” Bill exclaimed, hating that the once strong and confident woman he had fallen in love with all those years before, had been reduced to a shell of herself because of the behavior of men like him and Scott. “I’m never going to hurt you again, Hillary. I swear.”   
“Please just go away,” Hillary quietly begged. “I just need a few minutes to myself. Okay?”   
Bill sighed but nodded understandingly, wanting to give his ex-wife her space.    


* * * * * *

After she had collected her emotions and gotten herself together again a few minutes later, calmly and carefully, she gently scooped Cassandra up and out of her bassinet before she went to re-join the rest of her family downstairs.    
“What’s going on, Mom?” Jessica gently asked as she looked up from preparing Sophia’s dinner while Hillary walked into the kitchen.    
“Um, I think we’re going to Chicago,” was all Hillary could say. “I need to clear my head and get out of Connecticut for a bit. There’s too many bad memories here. You and Sophia can come of course.”   
“I don't know, Mom.” Jessica sighed. “I have school and work.”   
Hillary nodded understandingly.    
“But it  _ would _ be nice to take a trip somewhere this summer,” Jessica reasoned. “And I have a friend from college who lives in the Chicago area who I would love to catch up with.”   
“Well, I’d love it if you and Sophie were able to join us but I understand if you have other responsibilities,” Hillary quietly and gently said.    
Jessica nodded. “We’ll see. I can make some arrangements I guess.”   
Hillary nodded in return. “I don’t know when we’re leaving. I was going to leave tonight if there were spots on the red eye but we can wait a few more days, I suppose.” She slightly shrugged.    
“Well, the rest of you can go now if you’d like,” Jessica offered. “And I can meet you guys in a couple of days.”   
“Are you sure?” Hillary double checked.    
Jessica nodded and gave her mother a soft smile. “Of course.”    
Hillary sighed and nodded. “Okay, I think I’ll try to get us on a flight tomorrow morning then.”   
Jessica nodded understandingly.    
Hillary sadly sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table. “The reason I was so upset earlier is that I found out that Scott has been cheating on me with his secretary for at least the past couple of months.”   
“Oh, God, Mom.” Jessica frowned. “I’m so sorry.” Now she  _ really _ did want to kill Scott.   
Hillary just shrugged. “I really thought we were happy. At least at first. I  _ really _ did.” She got a faraway look in her eyes.    
“I know that you did,” Jessica said quietly, nodding slightly, trying to be supportive.    
“I was trying  _ so _ hard for him and I thought he was happy,” Hillary said quietly, shaking her head to herself.    
“I don’t think it had anything to do with  _ you _ , Mom,” Jessica offered as she took a break from making Sophia’s dinner and sat down across the kitchen table from her mother. “Scott’s just a huge asshole.”   
“Then why did Bill cheat on me, too?” Hillary asked quietly, feeling guilty that she was unloading all of this on her daughter but knowing that she needed to talk and process it with someone. “Hell, even my boyfriend in college cheated on me.”    
“I honestly don’t know what Bill was thinking the very last time he cheated on you but I  _ do _ know that he seriously regrets it,” Jessica tried.    
Hillary sadly sighed to herself and looked down at her lap.    
“Mom, we  _ both _ know that you’re still desperately in love with Bill,” Jessica tried. “And we both know that he would take you back in a  _ heartbeat _ . So why are you  fighting it?”    
“Because…” Hillary trailed off and she sighed again. “Because, I was  _ so _ in love with your stepfather and he _ completely _ broke my heart on more than one occasion. But the last time...that came out of  _ nowhere _ and was completely unexpected. We had been doing well and Bill hadn’t had any...incidents in years until then. It still hurts, Jess.” She hesitated for a beat before she continued. “I don’t know if I’m ready to go back to him, sweetheart.”   
“I understand,” Jessica nodded as she stared softly over at her mother and reached across the kitchen table to gently squeeze her mother’s hand.    
“I do still love him, Jess. I  _ do _ ,” Hillary admitted. “Of course I do. It’s just….I’m so afraid that if I go back to him…” she paused and choked up. “I’m afraid I’ll lose him again.” Her voice cracked and she looked down. “I don’t know what I did to make him leave me which means that it could just happen all over again.”   
“I don’t think it’ll happen again,” Jessica gently said in an encouraging tone before she softly continued. “But maybe you should talk to him about your feelings and fears?”   
“I want to.” Hillary nodded. “But every time I’m around him I just get all swept up in my feelings for him and that...that  _ scares _ me.” She gave Jessica a nervous watery chuckle. “Bill loves me more than I’ve ever been loved before. But I honestly won’t be able to handle it this time if he hurts me like that again.”   
“So tell  _ him  _ all of that,” Jessica encouragingly said as she softly stared at her mother from across the kitchen table.    
  


* * * * * *

Knowing that her oldest daughter was right (as usual), Hillary went upstairs to the guest room that Bill was staying in, in order to talk to him about everything she had been feeling and processing over the last several days.    
She gently knocked on the door. “Bill?”    
“Come in,” Bill called out. He looked up and stared at her softly as she entered the bedroom. “Hey.”   
“Hi,” Hillary said quietly before she crawled into the bed with him and pulled the covers up around the two of them.  “I’m scared, Bill,” she whispered in a shaky voice, cutting right to the chase. “I’m fucking terrified, Bill.”   
Bill nodded, knowing her so well that she didn’t need to elaborate. “I know.” He reached over and gently started rubbing soothing circles into her back. “If you ever give me a second chance, I won’t hurt you again. I promise. I’m so sorry that I  _ ever _ cheated on you. I was a fucking idiot, Hillary.”    
“It killed me,” Hillary said quietly, staring at Bill vulnerably.    
“And it hurts  _ me _ to know that I made you feel this way,” Bill said in return. “It will never happen  _ again _ , Hillary. I can only hope that you’ll give me a second chance to prove it. Because I would do anything for you, Hill. Even if we’re not a couple again right away, I would love to still be friends. This past week and getting to spend time together again has been pretty amazing, right, Hillary?”   
“I want to be more than friends,” Hillary admitted in a whisper. “Eventually. Maybe we can start spending time together again like we’ve been doing the past couple of days and just see where things go?”   
Bill softly smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good.”    
“You have to be serious about this this time though,” Hillary quietly said. “I don’t want to get hurt again.”    
“I promise you, Hillary,” Bill began as he leaned over and started gently stroking Hillary’s cheek, “All I want is you. I’m sorry I messed up so badly. I love you so much and I hope you know that.”   
“I know that.” Hillary nodded as she stared at Bill softly. “I love you too so let’s just take things  _ really _ slow for now so that we can eventually properly reconnect.”   
“Thank you,” Bill said gratefully, loving the sound of that plan. He wrapped his arms around Hillary and tightly hugged her. “Thank you so much, Hillary.”   
Hillary nodded again and tightly hugged Bill back in return. “So...I guess we’re going to Chicago?”    
Bill nodded as he pulled away from the hug. “Is it okay if I come with you and the girls?”   
“Of course,” Hillary said quietly, nodding.    
“Thank you, Hillary,” Bill said, giving Hillary a grateful and hopeful look. “You have  _ no _ idea how much all of this means to me.”   
“Well, I want us to eventually be a family again,” Hillary admitted quietly.    
Bill nodded and teared up slightly. “Thank you, Hillary.” He pulled Hillary in for another hug as Hillary leaned over and lightly pecked his cheek. A few seconds later, they lay down together and Hillary gently rested her head against Bill’s chest.    
“I’m sorry you have to go through all of this,” Bill quietly said as he gently ran his fingers through Hillary’s hair and started playing with it.   
Hillary slightly shrugged and frowned. “I deserve it.”   
“Hey. Hey, no you don’t,” Bill lightly chided. “Please don’t ever say that again. You don’t deserve  _ any _ of this.”   
Hillary looked up at Bill with a tender look in her eyes. “Well at least now I don’t have to go through it alone.”   
Bill nodded and leaned over to kiss the top of Hillary’s head. “You’re right.”   
Hillary finally started to relax as Bill wrapped his arms around her. “I still want him to be a part of Cassandra’s life though,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.    
“And I’m sure he will be, Hillary,” Bill said softly, trying to be supportive.    
Hillary shook her head. “I’m not so sure.”   
“I know it seems like that right now but just wait until he gets further into the rehab program. He’ll come around,” Bill encouraged.    
Hillary nervously nodded, hoping that Bill was right for her daughter’s sake.    
“Cassandra is so beautiful, he won’t be able to resist her,” Bill said with a weak smile, trying to lighten the mood as Hillary finally managed to crack a smile at that comment.  “That’s what I like to see,” Bill said as he smiled at Hillary in return. “Now, let’s go eat dinner with our wonderful and beautiful girls.”   
  


* * * * * *

Later that night, Hillary had finally gone to bed and fallen asleep when she was woken up by Cassandra’s cries in the middle of the night. She groaned to herself as she groped around on the nightstand for her glasses. She put them on and walked across the room over to Cassandra’s bassinet. She picked her daughter up and gently rocked her as she carried Cassandra back to bed with her and crawled underneath the covers.    
“Shhh, it’s okay, baby girl,” Hillary quietly soothed, as she tried to get the newborn back to sleep.   
She had fed her and changed her diaper a few minutes later but Cassandra was still being fussy when there was suddenly a light knock on the door. “Hillary?”   
“Yeah?” Hillary called out, as she quickly switched on the lamp that was on the nightstand.    
Bill opened the door and stood in the doorway to the master bedroom. “She okay?”   
“Now she is,” Hillary softly smiled as Cassandra finally started calming down. “Thanks for checking up on us. We didn’t wake you up did we?”   
Bill shook his head but Hillary could tell from the look on his face that he was just being polite. “Can I come in?”   
“Sure,” Hillary answered, nodding.   
Bill came into the room and crawled into the bed with her.    
“I hate this stupid bed,” Hillary shook her head to herself. “It’s too big for one person.”   
“I’m sorry,” Bill said quietly.    
“I hate this stupid house. I hate  _ him _ for doing this to me,” Hillary rambled.    
“I know,” Bill gently said as he tenderly stroked Hillary’s cheek.    
“I really thought he loved me,” Hillary said softly with a frown.    
There was an awkward pause when Bill didn’t know how to respond to that. “Well...I love you,” he finally said after a beat.   
Hillary weakly smiled. “I know you do.” She suddenly sighed. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to say it back just yet.”    
Bill leaned in closer to her. “Even if you’re too scared to say it back right now, I know that you feel it. But...I’m willing to wait until whenever you’re ready.”   
“I do feel it,” Hillary nodded. “I’m just honestly scared to get attached to somebody again.” She nervously bit her lip.    
“I know.” Bill nodded. “And I know that you have no reason to trust me again but do know that I  _ have _ changed, Hillary. I swear I have. God, Hillary. I  _ need _ you back.”   
Hillary looked up at him and stared at him vulnerably. “Like I said, Bill, let’s just take things  _ really _ slow for now.”   
Bill nodded. “Sure. Of course. Whatever you need.”   
Hillary nodded and gently rested her head against Bill’s shoulder. She suddenly yawned and chuckled. “Go back to sleep, Cassandra. Mommy needs her beauty rest.”   
“I’m wide awake,” Bill supplied, noticing how exhausted Hillary looked. “I can take her and get her back to sleep if you want.”   
“That’s okay, Bill,” Hillary replied with a small sigh. “She’s not your responsibility.”   
“I know, but I like her.” Bill shrugged before he suddenly grinned. “We’re friends now.”   
Hillary softly smiled. “Thanks for being so nice to her.”   
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill chuckled and smiled at Hillary in return as she passed the baby over to him. “Go back to sleep, Hill.”   
Hillary nodded. “Thank you.”   
“No problem,” Bill assured Hillary with a smile before he took Cassandra downstairs to the living room so that Hillary could go back to sleep uninterrupted.    
  


* * * * * *

When he returned to the bedroom a few minutes later with a now soundly sleeping Cassandra, Hillary was lying in bed, still awake, as she stared up at the ceiling.    
“Hey there,” Bill said softly as he gently placed Cassandra down in her bassinet, being careful not to wake her.    
Hillary looked over at Bill. “Hey.”   
“Go to sleep, Hilly,” Bill urged, coming over to Hillary’s bedside.    
Hillary patted the empty spot in bed beside her, wanting Bill to lay down with her which Bill happily obliged.    
“Is Cassandra okay?” Hillary checked as Bill climbed into bed beside her.    
Bill nodded. “She’s sound asleep.”   
Hillary weakly smiled and yawned before she clicked off the bedside lamp. “Thanks. I swear babies love you or something. You’re like a baby whisperer.” She chuckled.    
Bill chuckled in return. “It was no trouble at all,” He assured Hillary as he intertwined her legs with his underneath the covers.    
“You know what, Bill?” Hillary said with another big yawn as her eyes sleepily drifted closed, “I’m really, really excited about our trip to Chicago.”   
“Me, too, Hillary.” Bill smiled and nodded to himself in the dark as Hillary finally started drifting off to sleep. “Me, too.” 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one was so long, this might just be the longest chapter of the entire fic, we'll see I guess lol. But I know from reading your comments on other Billary fics that you guys hopefully don't mind long updates lol and there wasn't really a good place to cut this one to split it into two chapters. 
> 
> Anyways, Billary are making some progress in their relationship and more important/difficult conversations will be had during their trip to Chicago but hopefully some family fun and lighter stuff will be mixed in with the more serious stuff. And hopefully You Know Who doesn't ruin their trip in any way... ;) 
> 
> Until next time!


	31. What About Us?

Two days later, after an incredibly long morning of travel, including a delayed flight, Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, Hayley, and Cassandra had  _ finally _ arrived in Chicago with plans for Jessica and Sophia to join them a few days later after Jessica had finished tying up a few loose ends with work and school. Exhausted from their flight and dealing with a tired and cranky newborn and toddler all morning, everybody was due for a nap by the time they arrived at their hotel. The five of them quickly got out of their rental car and hurriedly ran out of the pouring rain and into the hotel lobby. Due to the weather, they probably weren’t going to be able to do any sight seeing or visit with any family and friends that day so Hillary was looking forward to resting and laying low in their hotel room, at least for the next couple of hours.    
Having decided to get separate rooms for this trip, Bill grabbed his room key and went into the room he would be sharing with Chelsea and Hayley while Hillary went to her adjoining room next door with Cassandra. Still slightly cranky from the flight, Hillary went to work calming Cassandra down before they both could (hopefully) take naps.    
“Shhh, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Hillary soothed as she gently rocked her daughter. She was finishing up with changing Cassanda’s diaper a few minutes later when there was a soft knock on the door that connected her and Bill’s rooms together.    
“Hillary?”    
“Um, come in,” Hillary softly called out, not wanting to disturb Cassandra who had finally drifted off to sleep.    
“Chelsea’s reading and Hayley is out like a light. Thank God,” Bill said with a soft chuckle, remembering how crabby Hayley had been at the airport and on the plane earlier that morning.    
“Thank you,” Hillary nodded. She softly smiled at Bill. “You’re a great dad, Bill.”    
“It feels like the only thing I am good at these days,” Bill quietly said, as he took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Hillary.    
“That’s not true,” Hillary said, as she gently lay Cassandra down in the travel bassinet that she had brought with her.    
“No, it is,” Bill retorted with a harsh sigh.    
“No, Bill.” Hillary shook her head.    
“You don’t have to lie to me, Hill.” He laughed bitterly. “I’m no Scott with his nice clothes and his mansion, and his fancy law firm.”    
“Hey, don’t compare yourself to Scott,” Hillary lightly chided.    
“And why shouldn’t I?” Bill asked, feeling slightly bitter that Hillary still seemed to be on the fence about fully taking him back, even after everything Scott had done.    
“Because, Bill. You don’t need a fancy law firm or a mansion to be an amazing human being,” Hillary simply explained. “We were comfortable but we weren't rich when you were in politics and we had the  _ best _ life.”    
“Yeah, until I fucked it up.” Bill sadly shook his head.    
“Yes but up until the very end, I was  _ so _ happy, Bill.  _ You _ made me happy. Happier than Scott ever could.”   
“And I still can if you would  _ just _ let me,” Bill replied softly, reaching over to touch the small of Hillary’s back.   
Hillary nervously bit her lip and sighed.    
“I know that I messed up but I still love you more than anything, Hillary.”   
“I don’t know, Bill,” Hillary said with another sigh. “You really hurt me.”   
“I know.” Bill nodded with a regretful look in his eyes. “And I honestly can’t explain  _ why _ I did the things I did because I don’t have a  _ fucking _ clue. What I  _ do _ know is that hurting you is the biggest regret I have.”    
“You hurt me worse than Scott did,” Hillary admitted, closing her eyes.    
“I’m sorry but I’ve changed, Hillary,” Bill begged. “You  _ have _ to know that.”   
“I’m not sure.”    
“Damn it, Hillary. What do I have to do to prove myself?” Bill sighed in frustration, upon having another variation of the same conversation they’d been having with each other over the past several days.    
“Just kiss me, Bill,” Hillary suddenly said as she took a deep breath.    
Looking visibly taken aback but still happy to oblige his ex-wife’s request, Bill quickly and passionately pulled Hillary to him and leaned in to give her a deep and loving kiss which Hillary moaned into.    
“Oh, Bill,” Hillary moaned when they broke apart for air several moments later.    
“I love you,” Bill frantically whispered.    
“I love you, too,” Hillary said softly. “I  _ really _ do, Bill. Which is why I’m so scared because I love you  _ too _ damn much. You have too much power over me.”   
“Well you have that same power over me so I guess we’re on equal playing ground.” Bill cheekily smiled before he leaned in and kissed Hillary again.    
She closed her eyes and eagerly kissed him back before she pulled away after a moment.    
“ _ Please _ tell me you’re not going to break my heart again.”   
“I swear to God, Hillary, I won’t.”    
“You’ve said that before,” Hillary said quietly.    
“Well then please let me prove it to you, Hill,” Bill pleaded. “I know I’m going to have to earn your trust back but I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve been miserable without you and I’m begging you to give me another chance.”   
“I think about you _every single day_ , Bill.” She sighed. “I was happy but with Scott it was a...different kind of happy.” She nervously cleared her throat. "At least at the beginning."    
“And which kind do you prefer?” Bill nervously asked, looking worried.    
“I don’t even know,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip.    
Bill suddenly teared up and sadly shook his head.    
“I’m sorry, Bill,” Hillary said with a harsh sigh. “But you hurt me, Bill.”   
“I know that,” Bill sadly nodded and swallowed.    
“So why should I give you another chance?” Hillary asked.    
“Because _ he _ hurt you, too!” Bill exclaimed with wide eyes. “He  _ physically _ hurt you, Hillary. I don’t know what part of that you don’t get? I would never lay a hand on you, Hillary. You know that.”   
Hillary harshly sighed again. “I’m not asking you about  _ him,  _ Bill. I’m asking you why  _ I  _ should give  _ you _ another chance.”   
“Because I love you more than anything else in this world, Hillary.” He reached over and grabbed Hillary’s hand, entwining their fingers together as he clasped it. “Because you know that I’m the love of your life. Because hurting you was the  _ worst _ fucking thing that I’ve ever done. Thinking about what I did to you makes me physically sick to my stomach. I would  _ never _ do that to you again.”   
“I don’t know, Bill.” Hillary sadly shook her head, letting go of Bill’s hand. “I really don’t know what to do.”   
“Follow your heart, Hillary.” That was the only advice he could really give her. He stared into her blue eyes softly.    
“I feel  _ so _ bad, Bill.” Hillary closed her eyes, feeling guilty and regretful herself. “I’ve just led Scott on all these months.”   
“But don’t you think its better to just be honest with him, Hill?” Bill asked, wrapping his arm around Hillary’s tiny waist.   
“I don’t want him to hate me. He isn’t a bad guy when he’s sober.” Hillary shrugged.    
Bill loudly scoffed. “That’s debatable, Hillary.”    
“Please don’t, Bill.” Hillary sadly sighed. “You don’t know him.”    
“I’m not trying to upset you, Hillary,” Bill said with a frustrated sigh of his own. “I don’t want to start fighting.”   
“Um, I’m going to take a shower,” Hillary suddenly said, putting an abrupt end to the conversation. “Watch Cassandra please."    


* * * * * *

When Hillary got out of the shower half an hour later, she was towel drying her hair as she walked back into the bedroom and saw Bill sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, gently holding Cassandra. She hastily wiped her eyes, not wanting Bill to see that she had been crying in the shower earlier.    
“Hey.” Hillary forced herself to smile at Bill but she had to admit, the sight of him holding her daughter was a sweet sight that always softened her heart.    
“Chelsea took Hayley swimming at the hotel pool,” Bill explained.    
Hillary nodded understandingly as she unzipped her suitcase and looked for an outfit to change into.    
“I can go and join them if you want privacy,” Bill offered.    
“Who said I wanted that?” Hillary retorted.    
Bill sighed. “Just the way you’ve been acting since we got here.”    
“Oh…” Hillary frowned. “Well, I’m sorry.”   
“I know I don’t deserve you, Hillary,” Bill suddenly said.    
“Don’t make me out to be more than I am,” Hillary retorted, as she grabbed a pair of black leggings and a white T-shirt out of her suitcase.    
“Just tell me what I need to do to get you back,” Bill offered.    
“Just be there for me, Bill,” Hillary simply explained. “ _ Earn _ my trust back.” She sighed. “I know I’ve been acting off this morning but I'm just tired and cranky. Honestly, you’ve been doing all the right things these past couple of days, Bill.”   
Bill weakly smiled to himself.    
“I’m just confused, Bill,” Hillary admitted.    
I get that.” Bill nodded, and stared at Hillary softly.   
“Well thank you for understanding.” Hillary nodded before she got changed and sat down on the edge of the bed, across from Bill and Cassandra. She softly stared at the two of them as Cassandra happily cooed and gurgled. “I’m glad she likes you, Bill.”   
Bill softly smiled. “Well, I like her. She’s beautiful. Just like her mother.”   
Hillary weakly smiled as her cheeks slightly flushed a light shade of pink. “I feel so horrible, Bill. I want  _ you _ but I’m scared to leave  _ him _ .”   
“What’s stopping you, Hillary?” Bill asked, staring at Hillary tenderly, genuinely worried and concerned for her.    
“I don’t even know,” Hillary admitted in a hushed tone, surprised at her own inability to be able to leave Scott once and for all.   
Bill frowned at Hillary’s admission as Hillary harshly sighed.    
“This is just difficult, Bill.”   
Bill nodded understandingly as Hillary got up and grabbed Cassandra from him.    
“Hi, my sweet girl,” Hillary gently cooed, gently nestling her daughter in her arms as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. She yawned, still feeling exhausted from their early flight and long morning of travel, seeing as she hadn’t had her nap yet.    
“Hillary, I’ll watch Cassansra if you want to take a nap,” Bill offered, realizing how exhausted his ex-wife looked.    
“It’s okay.” Hillary shook her head. “She’s probably tired, too.”    
“She just took a nap, Hill.”   
“Well, I want to cuddle with her then,” Hillary explained.    
Bill nodded understandingly as Hillary crawled into bed and gently cradled Cassandra against her chest.    
“You’re a good mom, Hillary,” Bill softly said as he tenderly stared at the two of them.   
“Thanks,” she said before she sighed. “It doesn’t feel like it lately though.”   
“You are, Hillary,” Bill firmly affirmed. “Our girls adore you. Never doubt that.”    
She nodded. “Thanks, Bill,” she said with a sad sigh. “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do with my life anymore.”   
“You’re going to go back to practicing law after your maternity leave is up, right?” Bill asked, as he lay down on the bed beside Hillary.    
“Well, yeah,” Hillary answered with a small shrug. “But I hated my last firm. They didn’t try the kinds of cases I’d like to be working on at this point in my career and my co-workers were assholes. Hell…” She sighed. “I was probably an asshole, too.”   
“I’m sure you weren’t,” Bill said quietly. “That’s not you, Hillary.”   
Hillary shrugged. “I was kind of mean to them. And I think I only got the job because of Scott’s connections.”   
“It’s easy to get sucked in by power,” Bill reasoned, trying to reassure Hillary as he wrapped his arm around her waist again and cuddled up to her and Cassandra. “Stop being so hard on yourself, Hill. And I doubt Scott was the reason you got the job. You’re amazing at absolutely everything you do.”   
Hillary sighed and shrugged again. “And there’s the kids. I just want them to be happy and safe. That’s all I want.”   
“Well, that’s something we have to work on together,” Bill stated.    
Hillary nodded. “Are you going to stay in Connecticut? Or do you want to go back to Arkansas?”    
“I’m living wherever you and the kids go. At least wherever you and Hayley and Cassandra go since Chelsea and Jess have their own lives now. I’m not living far away from Hayley again. I can’t do that ever again,” Bill answered in a firm and definitive tone.    
Hillary slightly nodded. “So, what if we moved to Upstate New York after all?” She nervously bit her lip.    
“Do you want to live in Upstate New York?” Bill seriously asked.    
“I do,” Hillary admitted. “I need a fresh start.”   
Bill nodded understandingly.    
“Part of me just wants to forget that we ever got a divorce. I want to forget this part of my life with Scott and just pick up where you and I left off,” Hillary nervously admitted.    
Bill suddenly chuckled slightly. “I don’t know if that’s possible, Hillary. I think way too much has happened since we got divorced  _ but _ we can certainly try to start something new if that’s what you want.”   
Hillary nodded decisively. “It is.”    
Bill weakly smiled and nodded, happy that Hillary was coming around. “Good.”   
“Actually, Bill,” Hillary suddenly said. “I don’t think I want to be married to  _ anyone  _ again for  _ a while _ .”   
Bill nodded, completely understanding his ex-wife’s point of view. “Fine. Of course. I get that. But that does mean I can’t take you out on the occasional date?” He slightly smirked.    
Hillary gave him a shy smile in return. “No. No, it doesn’t mean that. I would like to go out on the occasional date with you.”   
Bill grinned broadly. “Good because you’ll love it, Hill. I plan to sweep you off your feet all over again.”   
Hillary’s smile widened and she excitedly nodded.    
“Thank you for the second chance, baby,” Bill said, gently stroking her long golden blonde hair.    
“I’m trusting you,” Hillary warned firmly.   
“Thank  _ you _ ,” Bill gratefully said. “I won’t let you down, Hillary.”   
Hillary nodded and gently rested her head on his shoulder as Bill leaned down and gently pecked the top of her head.    
“What if Scott freaks out when I tell him that it’s actually over for good?” Hillary nervously asked.    
“I won’t let  _ anything _ happen to you,” Bill firmly said.    
Hillary sadly sighed. “Oh God, he’s going to hate me for the rest of our lives.”   
“Maybe he’ll come around,” Bill said softly. He was trying to remain optimistic but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew that that would never happen.    
“I doubt that.” Hillary shook her head. “He isn’t a very understanding man, Bill. You know that.”    
Bill frowned, knowing that Hillary was absolutely right. “I’m sorry, Hill.”   
Hillary shrugged. “I got myself into this mess, Bill.”   
“Well, you could never have known that all of this would happen,” Bill reminded her.    
“He was so nice at first.” Hillary sadly sighed. “Then as soon as we got married and I lost the baby, everything suddenly changed. I just can’t be the woman he expects me to be.”   
“And you shouldn’t have to be,” Bill argued. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”   
“Thanks, Bill.” Hillary weakly smiled at him.    
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Bill pointed out with a charming smile. “You’re absolutely incredible, Hillary.”   
“You make me so happy, Bill,” Hillary commented, giving Bill a genuinely happy smile.    
Bill smiled at her in return as she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her gently.    
“Thank you for loving me,” Hillary softly said.    
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill softly chuckled. “Nothing else in life makes me happier than loving you does.” He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek this time. “I’ve missed you, Hillary.”   
“I’ve missed you, too,” Hillary admitted in a whisper. “I really have, Bill.”   
“Thank you for the second chance,” Bill said in a serious tone.    
“If I’m being honest, Bill, I’d give you a trillion chances,” Hillary admitted with a smile before she leaned into him.    
Bill smiled as he kissed her cheek and then softly kissed her lips.    
Hillary smiled when she pulled away from the kiss a few moments later.    
“Now let’s just pray that Scott doesn’t murder me after I officially leave him,” Hillary said with a nervous sigh.    
“I won’t let him hurt you,” Bill promised, squeezing Hillary’s thigh reassuringly.    
“I’m a horrible person.” Hillary sadly shook her head.    
“Don’t say that,” Bill chided. “You aren’t.”   
Hillary sadly sighed. “I feel pretty awful right now.”   
“I’m sorry,” Bill said with a frown as his brow furrowed.    
Hillary just shrugged.    
“Well try not to think about Scott for now,” Bill encouraged as he leaned over and kissed her cheek again. “Just enjoy our vacation. Okay?”   
Hillary nodded, knowing that Bill was right. “Okay. I’ll try.”    
They suddenly heard the sound of the door to the adjoining room being unlocked.    
“I guess the girls are back from the swimming pool,” Bill realized with a smile.    
Hillary weakly smiled. “I’ll go get Hayley and give her a bath so that Chelsea can shower.”    
Bill nodded and took Cassandra from Hillary as Hillary got up to go find Hayley.   
“Hi, mama!” Hayley squealed excitedly when Hillary opened the door to Chelsea and Bill’s adjoining room.    
Hillary grinned, “Hi, baby girl!”    
“Hey, mom,” Chelsea smiled, as she rooted around in her suitcase for a fresh pair of clothes to change into after her shower.    
“Hey, baby,” Hillary said. “Did you girls have fun swimming?”   
“Oh, yeah!” Hayley excitedly squealed.    
Hillary chuckled, “Well that’s good.”    
Hayley sweetly nodded.    
“Come with mama and let’s go take a bath so that your sister can shower. Okay?” Hillary said to Hayley.    
“Okay, mama,” Hayley sweetly said.    
“Thanks, Mom,” Chelsea said gratefully.    
“No problem,” Hillary said as she took Hayley’s hand and led Hayley into the other room. 

“Baby Cassie!” Hayley squealed, noticing her baby sister in her dad’s arms.    
“That’s right!” Hillary softly smiled.    
“I love the baby,” Hayley sweetly said.    
“And she loves you,” Hillary replied, feeling her heart melt at how sweet Hayley was being. “You’re such a good big sister!”    
Hayley grinned at Hillary causing Hillary to warmly smile back as she got Hayley ready for her bath.    
“My baby is getting to be such a big girl,” Hillary commented.    
“That’s right. I’m a big girl,” Hayley excitedly nodded causing Bill and Hillary to chuckle.    
“I think it's almost time to get her a new big girl bed,” Bill commented.   
“I think so, too.” Hillary nodded and sighed, both because of the fact that her little girl was growing up but also because so much of the future was still up in the air at that point. “We can do that as soon as we figure out where we’re going to live.”   
Bill nodded in agreement.    
“I’d really love to live in New York City or Upstate New York but we can move back to Arkansas if that's what you want.” Hillary shrugged.    
“Listen, Hillary,” Bill said, putting Cassandra down on the bed. “I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I just want the kids to be happy.”   
“We need to talk to them about all of this,” Bill suggested.    
“Of course. I agree.” Hillary nodded. “We’ll do that.”   
Bill nodded and smiled slightly. “I love you.”   
“I love you, too,” Hillary whispered in return, finally admitting it out loud, immediately feeling a weight lift off her shoulders upon uttering the words.    
Bill was about to respond when Hillary’s cell phone suddenly rang. Bill went with Hayley into the bathroom to get her bath started while Hillary answered the phone.    
“Hello?”   
“Hey, Mom.”   
“Oh, hi, baby.” Hillary smiled upon hearing Jessica’s voice. “I miss you!”   
“Aww, I miss you, too.” Hillary could picture Jessica smiling into the phone on the other end. “Sophia misses you, too.”    
“Aww, and I miss her.” Even though it had only been a few hours since they left Connecticut, Hillary already couldn’t wait to give her daughter and granddaughter a hug upon seeing them again.    
“Well, good news,” Jessica started. “I was able to get us on an earlier flight and we’re flying into Chicago tomorrow.”    
“Oh, that’s fantastic!” Hillary grinned. “I’m so happy and I can’t wait to see you.”    
“How are things going so far?” Jessica asked.    
“Really well actually,” Hillary answered.    
“That’s good,” Jessica remarked. “What’s going on between you and Bill?”   
“Well…” Hillary pursed her lips together and drew out the word. “We can talk when you get here but things are getting better between us.”   
“That’s great, Mom. I’m so relieved.”   
“So am I,” Hillary honestly answered, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Things are  _ finally _ starting to look up.”   
“I’m really happy for you, Mom,” Jessica murmured quietly, the relief also evident in her voice.    
“Thanks, Jessie.” Hillary smiled to herself. “I’ll see you very soon, sweetheart. Love you.”   
“Bye, Mom,” Jessica said, wanting to let her family get back to their vacation. “I love you, too. See you tomorrow.”   
Hillary was hanging up the phone and checking on Cassandra when Chelsea walked into Hillary’s room.    
“Hey.” Hillary smiled softly at her.    
“Hey, mom,” Chelsea smiled in return as she dried her hair off with a towel. “It looks like the weather is finally clearing up.”   
Both women looked out the hotel room window and indeed, the rain had stopped, the clouds were parting and with the sun starting to peak through the clouds, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful summer day in Chicago. Hillary was glad her family had decided to visit Chicago while it was the summertime, which, despite the heat waves, was the best time of the year to be in Chicago, in Hillary's opinion.    
“Maybe we can go out and do some sight seeing after all,” Hillary remarked.    
“It looks like it.” Chelsea nodded. “Or Dad and I can take Hayley and Cassandra if you want some alone time to relax?”    
“No, no.” Hillary shook her head. “I’m fine. I want to spend time with all of you.”    
Chelsea nodded understandingly and smiled softly just as Hillary suddenly got an idea.    
“Actually Chels?”    
“Yes?”   
“How about you and your dad and sisters go do something fun while I surprise your Aunt Betsy with a visit?”    
  


* * * * * *   
  


After having a late lunch/early dinner as a family, Bill had just dropped off Hillary and Cassandra at Betsy’s house while he was going to take Chelsea and Hayley for some family fun at Chicago’s famous Navy Pier.    
“Just call my cell when you’re ready to go.” Bill flashed Hillary a smile as he pulled up in front of Betsy’s house. He liked that Hillary was happy and excited about seeing her best friend for the first time in months. It had been a long time since he had seen his ex-wife genuinely smiling in the way she currently was.    
“Thanks, Bill,” Hillary said gratefully as she climbed out of the front passenger seat of the car. She went around to the backseat so that she could get Cassandra from her car seat. “Have fun and be good for your dad,” she said to Hayley and Chelsea.    
“We will,” Chelsea assured her mother with a smile. “ _ You _ have fun with Aunt Betsy. Tell her I say hello.”    
“I will.” Hillary smiled in return before she waved goodbye to the rest of her family and closed the car door. She watched as Bill drove away before she took a deep breath and, filled with anticipation and excitement, made her way up the porch steps to Betsy’s front door. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. She had been confused why Betsy and Melissa hadn’t been answering her texts or emails - especially the one’s about Cassandra being born - lately but she had been chalking things up to the both of them having busy careers and personal lives.    
“I’m coming!” she heard her best friend call out before the door suddenly flew open.    
“Surprise!”    
“Hillary.”    
Betsy didn’t look excited or enthused to see Hillary. In fact, she looked like she had been caught off guard.    
“Is this a bad time?” Hillary asked, frowning when she noticed the expression on Betsy’s face as she realized it was dinner time. “I know it’s dinner time but I was in the neighborhood and…”    
“What are you doing here?” Betsy cut her off.    
“Well, I decided to come to Chicago to clear my head and spend time with my family, and to see you and Mel of course!” Hillary explained, confused by Betsy’s lack of enthusiasm. “And look!” She held up Cassandra’s car seat. “I had the baby!”    
“Funny, you’ve been too busy for us since you got remarried,” Betsy bitterly said. “We hear nothing from you for eight months and then suddenly you just appear out of the blue on my doorstep after all this time?”    
“Betsy…”    
“You could have called once in a while, is all,” Betsy explained with a sad sigh.    
“I know and I’m  _ so sorry _ I haven’t done a better job of staying in touch. Things have just been  _ crazy _ . You don’t even know the half of it. Maybe we could have a glass of wine and talk?”   
“I don’t think so, Hillary,” Betsy replied, with an icy edge to her tone.    
“Oh, okay, then…”    
Betsy sadly sighed again. “Listen Hillary, stay for dinner if you  _ really _ want to but we’re not really friends anymore. I’m sorry but obviously you put your husband over our friendship these past couple months.”    
“Betsy…” Hillary frowned and tried not to tear up. Obviously, her putting her friendships on the backburner hadn’t been intentional.    
“I have to go, Hillary. I have dinner cooking on the stove but have a good rest of your trip I guess and good luck with everything.”   
Betsy and Hillary stared at each other for a long and intense moment, the hurt evident on both of their faces before Betsy finally started closing the door.    
“Bye, Betsy.” Hillary’s voice cracked as the door closed in her face and she was too shocked at Betsy’s response to argue. She harshly sighed and shook her head to herself to shake the tears away. She looked down at Cassandra and sighed sadly. “Well, that could have gone better, baby girl.”    
She carried Cassandra over to the curb and sat down. She dug around in her purse and pulled out her Blackberry. “Let’s try calling your Auntie Melissa, okay?”    
She dialed the number and waited for her other best friend to answer.    
“Hello?”    
“Hey girl! It’s me!” Hillary excitedly said. “Hillary.” She added after a moment.    
“Hillary.”   
Melissa sounded as taken aback to hear from Hillary as Betsy had seemed when she had answered the door.    
“Is everything okay?” Melissa asked.    
“Yeah, of course,” Hillary chuckled. “Why wouldn’t it be?”    
“Well, I haven’t heard from you for months so when I saw your name pop up on the call display, I just assumed there was an emergency.”   
“No, no everything’s fine,” Hillary assured her friend. She started chewing on her lower lip, worried that this conversation was going to end the same way her conversation with Besty had. “Guess what, Mel? I’m in Chicago! Let’s meet up for a drink or something.”   
“Um, I don’t think so,” Melissa awkwardly said. “And I can’t tonight anyways.”   
“Oh.” Hillary tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. “I see.”    
“Yeah, I’m meeting with my lawyer.”   
“Lawyer?” Hillary asked. She sounded taken aback as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.    
“Yeah…” Melissa nervously cleared her throat. “Brad and I are getting a divorce. My lawyer and I are meeting to go over the separation agreement tonight.”   
“Mel.” Hillary gasped in surprise. She had had no idea.    
“Which you would have known if you had bothered to pick up the phone or send a quick email over the past eight months,” Melissa harshly said.    
“I’m sorry I dropped off the face of the earth,” Hillary sincerely apologized. “But this year hasn’t exactly been easy on me either. If we can meet up soon, I’ll explain everything. And don’t you want to meet Cassandra?”    
“Not really,” Melissa nonchalantly answered. “I’ve had a hard year, too, Hillary. And you weren't here. You didn't even bother to check up on me or Betsy for the past eight months.”   
“I know and I’m sorry, Mel.”    
“Save it, Hillary. I don’t want to hear your excuses. Have a nice life.”    
“Mel…” But before Hillary could protest, she heard a click and the line went dead. She stared down at a now sleeping Cassandra and tried to blink away the tears that were prickling her eyelids. So far this trip wasn't going exactly as planned...

  
To Be Continued...   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are having a nice weekend and that you enjoyed the update! I'll try to include more light, fun family stuff in the next chapter or two. 
> 
> And thank you for all of your lovely and encouraging comments! I'm sorry that I don't have time to reply to them because of work and real life but I DO read all of them and they are VERY much appreciated and encouraging! 
> 
> As you all could probably tell, we are finally at the turning point in the story, yay! And this Chicago trip is just a little detour until we get to another BIG turning point in the story so stay tuned ;) 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy! Until next time :)


	32. It's You And Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts/ideation.

After her disastrous attempt of trying to visit her friends and make amends, Hillary had quickly called Bill to come pick her back up. Not really feeling like going to the Navy Pier with her family, Hillary had decided to just go back to the hotel for the night. Since Chelsea and Bill didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone at the hotel when she was obviously visibly upset, they scrapped their plan to go to the Navy Pier and instead the family ordered room service and had a cozy movie night back at the hotel instead. The movie had provided a momentary distraction for Hillary but now Chelsea had gone to bed while Bill and Hillary were curled up in Hillary’s bed together in the other room with Hayley and Cassandra sleeping soundly in between the two of them.    
“Do you need anything before we go to sleep?” Bill asked, as he tenderly reached over and gently stroked Hillary’s hair.    
“Yeah.” Hillary sleepily smiled. She bitterly laughed. “How about my old life back?”   
“Oh, sweetheart…” Bill frowned and sadly sighed. “I so desperately wish I could give you that, Hill.”   
“Maybe you can,” Hillary whispered as she weakly smiled. “Having you here now is a start.”   
Bill softly smiled and slightly nodded.    
“I’m  _ so _ sorry I ever married Scott,” Hillary suddenly said, the regret evident in her facial expression and her tone.    
“Yeah, well I’m sorry that I ever gave you a reason to,” Bill quietly said with a regretful frown of his own before he leaned over and gently started kissing Hillary.    
Hillary softly kissed him back before she suddenly and abruptly pulled away. “I’m still married, Bill.”   
Bill frowned, knowing that they had already kissed plenty of times in the past couple of days but nonetheless, he nodded understandingly. “Of course, Hillary. I’m sorry.”   
“I feel like a horrible person,” Hillary suddenly said with another frown. She shook her head to herself. “I’m just as bad as  _ he _ is.”   
“Don’t be upset, Hill,” Bill replied, not liking that she was comparing her own behaviour with Scott’s when what she was doing was nothing close to what he had done. “I’ll back off, don’t worry.”   
“That’s the thing.” Hillary let out a shaky breath. “I don’t  _ want _ you to back off, Bill.”   
Bill smiled softly and stared at her tenderly. “Well maybe it’ll be good for us to reconnect and just spend some time together again as friends before getting physical. If this is important to you then we can definitely wait until your divorce is finalized.”   
Hillary nodded and slightly smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good.”   
“Alright, then.” Bill nodded in return as he started playing with Hillary’s hair again.    
“God, why is life so fucking hard?” Hillary suddenly asked, shaking her head.    
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Bill answered softly, frowning. “But you deserve so much better.”    
Hillary nodded and sadly sighed. “I’ve missed you, Bill.”   
“God, I’ve missed you, too, Hill.” He leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s forehead.    
“I hate myself.” Hillary harshly sighed.    
“Well, you have no reason to,” Bill said, hating what Scott had done to Hillary’s confidence and self-esteem over the past few weeks and months. “You’re incredible, Hillary.” He reached over and cupped her cheeks in his large hands.   
Hillary nodded as she suddenly loudly yawned.    
Bill quietly chuckled so that he wouldn’t wake up Cassandra or Hayley. “It’s late, Hill. Time to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day. I promise.”    
Hillary nodded as she weakly smiled, hoping that Bill was right. “Goodnight, Bill,” she tiredly said as she yawned again.    
“Goodnight, Hillary.”    
Being careful not to wake the kids up, Bill started getting out of bed.    
“You can sleep in here tonight if you want,” Hillary offered. “I don’t mind.”    
“No, that’s okay.” Bill shook his head. “I’ll give you your space.”    
“Oh, okay.” Hillary nodded and shrugged. “Thanks. Goodnight.”   
“Night,” Bill repeated before he gently pecked Hayley’s forehead, quietly left Hillary’s room and entered his adjoining room. 

Hillary tried getting comfortable in her bed and closed her eyes. But despite how tired she was, she couldn’t stop thinking about going into Bill’s room. Since the kids seemed content, she decided to do just that. After she gently picked up Cassandra, carefully laid her in her bassinet and made sure that Hayley was still sleeping soundly, she grabbed the baby monitor and quietly knocked on the door that connected the two rooms.    
“Come in,” Bill quietly called out. 

Upon entering Bill and Chelsea’s room, Chelsea was sound asleep in her bed while Bill was sitting up in his bed in pajamas, watching a baseball game on television with the volume turned down low so as not to disturb Chelsea.    
“Oh, hey!” Bill smiled, obviously happy and surprised to see Hillary. “Want to watch baseball with me?”   
Hillary weakly smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Yeah, I do.”    
Bill softly smiled as she crawled into bed beside him and snuggled up to him.    
“I’ve missed nights like this,” Hillary said. “Relaxing and watching sports with you.”   
“Well, you’re in luck because this is a good game,” Bill replied as he leaned down and softly kissed the top of Hillary’s head.    
“Thank you for being you,” Hillary suddenly murmured as Bill gently wrapped his right arm around her waist.   
“No, thank you for being  _ you _ ,” Bill whispered with a smile as he rubbed her back.   
Hillary suddenly yawned.    
“Want me to turn this off so you can get some sleep?” Bill offered.    
Hillary shook her head. “No, let’s finish watching it.”   
Bill nodded.    
“This is fun.” Hillary’s lips curled up into a smile.    
“Yeah, it is.” Bill agreed, nodding.    
“Remember when Jessica and Chelsea were younger and we would go to all of their sporting events and dance recitals?” Hillary mused.    
Bill nodded with a nostalgic smile. “I do. I loved going to everything and supporting our girls.”   
Hillary nodded as she also smiled slightly at the memories. “Me, too.”   
“Jess crushed my spirit when she decided to play volleyball and not basketball though,” Bill joked.    
Hillary quietly chuckled. “She was the best player on her team though.”    
“That she was,” Bill agreed. “And you know what else? I loved seeing you in your casual clothes, with your hair in a cute little braid at Jess’s volleyball games. You were adorable.”   
Hillary scoffed. “Yeah, right.”    
“I’m serious,” Bill quietly laughed. “I loved that. You were so cute and gorgeous. You still are for a matter of fact.”   
Hillary smiled at him softly. “I love our girls but somehow I feel like we didn’t get enough Bill and Hillary time before I got pregnant with Chelsea. We kind of rushed into things.” She chuckled.    
“I know what you mean,” Bill nodded. “But I wouldn’t have wanted things to have been any other way.”   
“Me, too,” Hillary nodded in agreement before she sadly sighed. “God, I was so fun back then.”   
“Hey, you’re still fun,” Bill retorted.    
Hillary shook her head. “I hate who I’ve become and I know other people do too. And I don’t blame them.”   
“Like who?” Bill raised his right eyebrow in confusion.   
“Well, my friends for starters,” Hillary began. “The people I work with. The people who work for Scott. And things were pretty rocky between me and Jess and Chelsea for a while there.”    
“Well, Jessica and Chelsea adore you and everything is good now between you girls,” Bill pointed out. “And everyone else is an idiot.”    
“No.” Hillary shook her head with a pensive look on her face. “They’re not.”   
“They are.” Bill nodded.    
“I’m  _ so _ different now, Bill,” Hillary retorted with a sad sigh.    
“Hey, I still see the same old Hillary who I fell madly in love with,” Bill quietly said. “Yes, you have her buried but she’s still inside you, somewhere. And she is just as amazing as ever.”   
Hillary nervously bit her lip and stared up at Bill.   
“You’re still the Hillary I married all those years ago,” Bill replied, staring at her in return.   
“Because I feel like I can be  _ her _ again when I’m with you and the kids,” Hillary quietly explained, staring at Bill softly.    
“Yeah?” Bill said. “Because you’re right. We only want you to be yourself, Hillary.”   
Hillary nodded slowly but gratefully. “Thank you, Bill. It feels good to be myself again.”   
Bill nodded understandingly.    
“Do you mind if I sleep in here tonight actually?” Hillary asked, staring at Bill vulnerably. “I know we wanted to do the whole separate rooms thing but it’d be nice to just fall asleep to the game, like old times, you know?”    
“Sure, sweetheart.” Bill nodded, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep holding Hillary in his arms.    
Hillary nodded as she lay down beside him and got comfortable.    
“Goodnight,” Bill whispered.    
“Night,” Hillary sleepily mumbled as she draped one of her legs over his and felt Bill wrap his big strong arms around her waist.    
Cuddled up with Hillary, Bill stared down at her softly, feeling incredibly grateful to be so physically close to her again.    
Hillary sighed peacefully to herself, feeling content as she felt Bill running his long elegant fingers through her hair. She eventually drifted off to sleep a few moments later with the both of them having the best night's sleep either of them had had in a _long_ time.    
  


* * * * * *

Suddenly, Bill was woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of Hillary quietly humming and (badly) singing. When he rolled over and realized her side of the bed was cold and empty, he quietly crawled out of bed and crept over to the doorway that led into the adjoining room. He found Hillary in the other room, sitting up in bed, gently rocking Cassandra and singing her back to sleep.   
“Shhh, go back to sleep my sweet baby girl,” Hillary soothingly whispered. “We don’t want to wake up your sisters or Bill.”   
“Too late,” Bill whispered.    
Hillary looked up to see Bill standing in the doorway. She frowned and harshly sighed. “Crap, I’m sorry, Bill.”   
Bill quietly chuckled. “That’s okay. It’s not a big deal. Is she okay?”   
Hillary nodded as she gently rocked Cassandra. “I think so. I fed her but she’s still being fussy.”    
Bill came over to them and gently stroked Cassandra’s cheek with his thumb as he softly smiled down at the baby.    
“She’s so beautiful, Hill,” he whispered. Even though Cassandra wasn’t biologically his, he had already fallen in love with her, just like he had immediately fallen in love with Jessica all those years before.    
“Thank you,” Hillary whispered in return with a weak smile as Cassandra finally calmed down and closed her pretty little eyes. “I think so, too.” Hillary kissed the top of Cassandra’s head before she laid down in bed with Cassandra cuddled against her chest. Bill smiled at them softly before he lay down beside Hillary causing Hillary to smile over at him.    
Bill stared at Hillary tenderly, wanting nothing more than to lean over and passionately kiss her but he resisted the urge.    
“Go back to sleep, Bill.”    
Bill nodded. “Goodnight.”    
Hillary smiled as she leaned over and pecked his cheek.    
Bill smiled weakly before he rested his head against the pillow.    
Hillary carefully got out of bed, gently lay Cassandra down in her bassinet and crawled back into bed with Bill. She reached over and ran her free hand through his salt and pepper hair, quietly chuckling as Bill stared over at her. “Do I have to sing _ you _ to sleep, too?” She teased.    
“No,” Bill quietly laughed and smirked. “You just go to sleep, too, Hill.”   
“You first,” Hillary whispered.   
Bill smiled softly, then closed his eyes.    
Hillary reached over and gently stroked his cheek as Bill started falling asleep.    
Bill opened his eyes again and stared up at Hillary. “Am I dreaming, Hillary?”    
“No.” Hillary laughed. “Why would you think that?”   
“It’s just...you,” Bill sleepily rasped out. “You’re so damn perfect, Hill."    
Shhh,” Hillary soothed. “Don’t think about anything, Bill. Just be here with me and go to sleep.”    
Bill nodded.    
“Do you remember the first night we spent together?” Hillary suddenly asked as she stared into Bill’s blue eyes.    
Bill stared back at her and nodded. He smiled fondly at the memory. “Yeah, I remember.”   
“That was a good night,” Hillary mused.    
“It was amazing,” Bill agreed. He smiled softly. “We’ve had some wonderful nights together over the past twenty years.”    
Hillary nodded and continued running her fingers through his hair. “Remember the night Chelsea was born?”   
“Mmmm hmm.” Bill nodded and chuckled. “Who could forget that night? It was  _ pretty _ eventful.” He reached over and draped his arm over Hillary’s waist.    
“We were so cute and nervous,” Hillary chuckled at the memory.    
“We were so freaked out that she was two weeks early that we were nervous wrecks until she actually came and was perfectly healthy.” Bill chuckled.    
“I was more of a wreck than you though,” Hillary remembered as she cuddled up closer to Bill. “You’ve always been the calming force in a storm. Thank you.”    
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill murmured. “Go back to sleep, Hillary.”    
“I can’t sleep,” Hillary retorted. “I’m wide awake now.”   
“Me, too,” Bill realized with a sigh.    
Hillary propped herself up on her elbows and stared at him. ”I miss you,” she whispered and stared at Bill tenderly.    
“I miss you, too, Hillary.  _ God _ , I miss you, Hill.”   
“Why did you leave me?” Hillary suddenly asked, staring at Bill vulnerably.   
“I was confused and stupid.” Bill sadly shook his head and closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Hillary.”    
Hillary nodded and sadly sighed. “Right.”   
“Hillary, I’m sorry,” Bill repeated.    
“No, I know you are.” Hillary nodded and stared at him softly and reassuringly. She leaned in closer to him. “I forgive you.” She leaned in and gently kissed him. “I forgive you,” she once again whispered against his lips when she pulled away. “I forgive you and I love you and I want to be with you, Bill.”    
Bill wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. “Hillary, oh Hillary. I love you  _ so _ much. Thank you.”    
“I love you, Bill,” Hillary said in return. “I really do.” Her face broke out into a grin.    
Bill kissed the top of her head and smiled himself. “I promise you, we can make this work this time, Hillary. I’ll do anything.”   
Hillary nodded. “Okay,” she softly said. She leaned in and gently kissed his lips again.    
“I love you,” Bill moaned when they broke apart for air.    
“I love you, too,” Hillary moaned in return as Bill pulled her closer, holding her tightly.    
Hillary sighed happily, feeling truly content for the first time in months. She smiled softly as Bill pecked the top of her head.    
“Go to sleep,” she said. “Sorry that Cassandra and I woke you up. We didn’t mean to.”   
“Don’t worry about it,” Bill assured her before he closed his eyes.    
“Goodnight, Bill.”   
“Goodnight, Hillary.”    
  


* * * * * *

The next morning, while everyone else was still asleep, Hillary, still in Bill’s arms, woke up early to feed Cassandra and since she couldn’t get back to sleep, not wanting to wake up the rest of her family just yet, after carefully untangling herself from Bill’s embrace and being careful not to wake him, she got herself and Cassandra dressed for the day, and decided to go downstairs to the coffee shop that was next door to the hotel. Being careful not to wake Hayley or Bill up, she quietly got Cassandra settled in her car seat, picked the car seat up and quietly slipped out of the room. She took the elevator downstairs to the warm, inviting and cozy coffee shop, ordered herself a vanilla latte, and got herself and Cassandra settled at a table. She was smiling and marveling at Cassandra who was happily cooing away when her cell phone suddenly rang.    
“Hello?” She answered without checking the call display.    
“I miss you.”   
Hillary felt her heart clench at hearing Scott’s voice come through the other end.    
“Scott.” She tried her best to keep her voice steady.   
“I don’t want a divorce, baby.”   
“Scott, we can’t be married anymore.” Hillary nervously bit her lip. “You  _ know _ that.”    
“No, I don’t.” Scott retorted. “I’m going to change, Hilly. I’ve  _ already _ changed.”   
“We’ll talk about it later, Scott,” Hillary said, not in the mood to talk to him at that moment. “How did you get access to a phone anyways?” She knew it was too early in the day for him to have phone privileges.    
“Don’t worry about that,” Scott said. “How’s Cassandra doing?”   
“She’s fine,” Hillary flatly answered. “We went to Chicago for a few days.”   
“What? Why would you take her all the way to Chicago without consulting me first?” Scott demanded. “I want to see her, too!”    
Hillary harshly sighed and took a sip of her latte. “It’s just for a few days, Scott. We’ll be back in Connecticut by Friday and I’ll take her to see you first thing Saturday morning.”   
Scott harshly sighed. “Fine.” He didn’t like that Hillary had taken his baby out of state without consulting him first but he knew there was nothing he could do about it now. “Well, the doctor thinks I can get out of here in the next two weeks or so,” he added. “I’m doing really well, he said.”   
“That’s nice,” Hillary said with a sigh, not sure if Scott was telling the truth or not, considering that he had been threatening suicide just days before.    
“Tell Cassandra that I love her and miss her,” Scott replied.    
“Um, I think she misses you, too,” Hillary politely said.    
“I miss both of you.”   
“Scott, I really  _ can’t _ do this. We can’t be together anymore.”   
“Did you  _ ever _ really love me?” He suddenly asked.    
“Yes,” Hillary honestly answered. “I did at one time, yes.”   
“Just not like you love Bill,” Scott angrily said with a bitter chuckle. “What about the night I officially proposed to you? Did you love me then? Because you kissed me like you did.”   
“I just told you that I did love you then,” Hillary quietly answered, getting frustrated with him.   
“I don’t believe you.”   
“Well, that’s not my problem, Scott.” She sighed as Cassandra started crying. “I’ve gotta go."    
“I miss her,” Scott quietly said, upon hearing his daughter crying in the background. “ _ Please _ come home now.”   
“Scott.” Hillary sadly sighed and closed her eyes in frustration.   
“I  _ need _ you, Hillary.”   
“Well, that’s not going to happen, Scott.” Hillary retorted. “I’m sorry.”    
“Why, Hillary?” Scott begged. “I’ll do  _ anything _ !”   
Hillary heard someone in the background asking for their phone back.   
“Who’s that?” She asked.    
Scott harshly sighed. “The nurse who smuggled me the phone. I should go.”   
“I’ll see you in a few days,” Hillary awkwardly said, glad to be rid of him.   
“Okay, Hillary,” Scott said, sounding annoyed that their conversation had been cut short. “I love you."    
“Bye, Scott.” Hillary abruptly hung up before he could say anything else.    
She went back to sipping her coffee and just as she was about to text Bill so he would know where she went when he woke up, a horrible and sickening thought suddenly occurred to her. With her heart clenched and her stomach tossing and turning the coffee she had just drank, she pulled up her call history on her phone and called back the number Scott had called from.    
“Hello? Scott answered.    
“You have some nerve, Scott Graham!”    
“Hillary? What are you talking about?”   
“You’re sleeping with that nurse aren’t you? The one who is letting you borrow her phone.”   
“It’s not what it looks like, Hillary.”   
“Bullshit!” She just hoped that Scott hadn’t manipulated this poor woman with sex for access to the cell phone. “You are  _ such _ a hypocrite, Scott. I’ve tried to be understanding but I’m  _ done _ .”   
“Hillary, it isn’t what you think,” Scott tried. “ _ She _ came onto me!”    
“I don’t care, Scott. I am  _ so _ sick of being lied to by men. I just want to move on.”   
“Nothing happened!” Scott yelled into the phone.   
“Bullshit!”    
“I swear, Hillary. It isn’t what it looks like!”   
“Sure.” Hillary rolled her eyes to herself.    
“I swear, Hillary. I won’t cheat on you ever again,” Scott promised. “Plus, you’ve probably been cheating on me with Bill the entire time I’ve been in rehab.”   
“That’s not true!”   
“That’s bullshit and the entire world knows it, Hillary.”   
“Yes, we’ve been spending time together,” Hillary admitted. “But nothing’s happened, Scott.”    
“Bullshit,” Scott repeated. “But what does any of it matter at this point? Since you want a divorce so fucking badly.”   
“Scott.” Hillary frowned and bit her lip.   
“What?” Scott incredulously asked. “What does it matter what I’ve done with that nurse?”    
“Fine. I’ll admit. I’ve kissed Bill a few times,” Hillary admitted, hoping it would get Scott to admit his transgressions in return.    
“Of course.” Scott loudly scoffed. “But again, it doesn’t matter since you want a divorce.”   
Hillary tried to hold back her tears.    
“I really love you, Hillary, and I’m sorry I’m not Bill Clinton.”   
“I can’t talk to you right now, Scott,” Hillary choked out. “I’ll call you later, I guess.”    
“Don’t bother, Hillary. If you’re done with me, be done with me. Have a nice life. You can tell Cassandra how shitty her dad was when she’s older.”   
“Scott!”    
“What?” Scott yelled.    
“I’m sorry,” Hillary said, not knowing what else to say at this point in the conversation.    
“No, you’re not sorry, Hillary. You never gave a shit about me.”   
“That’s not true, Scott.”   
“Then why do you want a divorce?”   
Hillary stayed silent for a moment before she said, “We just aren’t working, Scott.”   
“Then we can try  _ harder _ ,” Scott urged. “We can fight for  _ us _ . I know for a fact that you and Bill went through rough patches before.”    
“That’s not the same thing, Scott.”   
“Why not, Hillary?” Scott asked. “I would do  _ anything _ to win you back, Hill."    
“Scott...you know that it can’t work.”   
“Why?” Scott asked incredulously. “I’m clean and sober now! I’m going to do better! Cassandra deserves a father, Hillary. It’ll be so bad for her to keep going back and forth between one of us to the other one all the time.”    
“It won’t be that bad,” Hillary replied. “Kids of divorced parents do it all the time.”   
“Well, I guess Cassandra just won’t have a dad then.”   
Hillary rolled her eyes, realizing what Scott was implying.    
“So...we’re back to suicide,” she said with a frustrated sigh. “Scott, get over yourself. You’re not going to kill yourself.”   
“Maybe I am. If I’m  _ such _ a fuck up then maybe I should just kill myself.”   
“Scott, stop it!” Hillary yelled, feeling sick to her stomach.   
“Hillary, I’m just giving you what you want. It’ll be better for all of us.”   
“It won’t be better for Cassandra, Scott.”   
“It will be,” Scott pleaded. “You’ll see. It’ll have to be.”   
“Scott, I can’t help the way I feel!” Hillary argued. “ _ Please _ don’t take it out on Cassandra! She’s your daughter and she’s innocent in all of this! She deserves to have her father in her life.”   
“She’ll be fine,” Scott insisted. “I’m not going to sit around and watch her be raised by Bill.”    
“Bill isn’t her father, Scott! Of course I want  _ you _ to raise her, you’re her father. But if you do this, then be sure that Bill  _ will _ step up if he needs to. So if you don’t want your daughter raised by another man then you better  _ not _ do this!” Hillary firmly said.    
“I don’t care, Hillary,” Scott said, sounding absolutely broken. “Everything is falling apart. I have no other choice.”   
“You’re an idiot, Scott!” Hillary yelled. “I’m calling the rehab center right now and putting you on suicide watch.”   
“I already told you, I’ll wait until I’m out of here and do it at our house. Then you can find me.”   
“Well, Scott. Clearly you don’t care about me or my wellbeing if you would do that to me.”   
“I would just be giving you a taste of your own medicine.”   
“I can’t help the way I feel, Scott!” Hillary argued.    
“No, you married me to get back at Bill for leaving you for a younger woman. You  _ could _ have helped that.”   
“That is not true, Scott.” She sadly sighed and closed her eyes, feeling tears pricking at her eyelids. “I married you because I thought we could be happy together. But clearly I was wrong.”   
“Damn it, Hillary!” Scott yelled. “Fight for us! We _could_ be happy together!”    
“I couldn’t be.” Hillary shook her head to herself.    
“Of course not. Because I’m not Bill!” Scott spat into the phone.    
“Scott…” Hillary sighed. “Scott, you will find someone who is better suited for you and who will make you  _ so _ happy.”    
“Hillary, what the fuck don’t you understand about the fact that I love you!?”   
“I care about you, Scott, yes, but I'm in love with Bill,” Hillary whispered. “If you’re  _ so _ in love with me then you’ll understand how it feels for me to not be with Bill.”   
“Fuck Bill!” Scott screamed into the phone. “He’s a fucking loser!”    
“You don’t even know him, Scott,” Hillary pointed out.    
“I  _ do _ know him and he’s an asshole, Hillary.”   
“He is not!” Hillary firmly argued.    
“Okay, whatever you say, Hill.” Hillary could hear him rolling his eyes through the phone. “I’d like to see my daughter one last time.”   
“No! Don’t you dare do this, Scott!”    
“Why shouldn’t I?” Scott threatened. “Cassandra will be fine without me and you don’t care about me anymore.”   
“Just because I don’t want to be married to you anymore, that doesn’t mean I want you to die!” Hillary said in a desperate tone of voice.    
“All I’ve done is fuck up your life apparently so I guess this is my punishment,” Scott said bitterly.    
“Stop talking this way!” Hillary yelled, attracting stares from other people in the coffee shop.    
“Take me back then.” Scott gave her an ultimatum.    
“I can’t,” Hillary whispered, on the verge of tears.   
“Then I guess you can explain to Cassandra one day what happened to her daddy.”   
“What? That he didn’t love her enough to stick around?” Hillary said, sounding incredulous.   
“Yep, I guess that’s it,” Scott retorted. “Bye, Hillary.”   
“I’m  _ not _ going to let you do this, Scott!” Hillary ordered.    
“I’d like to see you try to stop me,” Scott replied, laughing sinisterly.    
“Watch me!” Hillary yelled before she quickly hung up and called the rehab center to let them know about Scott’s behaviour and suicidal thoughts. 

After she got off the phone a few minutes later, she shakily sighed and decided to go back upstairs to her hotel room. She grabbed her coffee cup and Cassandra and took the elevator back upstairs. Once the elevator doors had closed and she was alone with her thoughts, she quietly started crying to herself. She was still silently weeping when she entered her hotel room. Upon seeing that Chelsea and Hayley were in the room with the older one of the two helping the younger one get dressed, Hillary quickly put her coffee cup down and brushed away her tears so that Chelsea and Hayley couldn’t tell she was upset. She forced a smile and greeted her daughters.    
“Hi, girls!”    
“Hey, mom,” Chelsea softly smiled at her mother.   
“Hey, Hill,” Bill said, coming into the room upon hearing Hillary’s voice. “Where’d you go?”   
“I just went downstairs for a coffee,” Hillary quietly explained. “Cassandra woke up early and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”    
“What’s wrong?” Bill asked, as he saw his ex-wife’s red eyes and tear stained cheeks and he realized that it looked like Hillary had been crying.    
“Later,” Hillary softly said, not wanting to discuss her conversation with Scott in front of Chelsea. She forced a smile again. “What do you guys want to do today? We could finally go to the Navy Pier today if you want?”   
Chelsea shrugged. “Sure. Are you okay, Mom?” Her mother’s tear stained face hadn’t gone unnoticed by her middle daughter either.    
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart.” Hillary brushed her off.   
“I don’t like it when you’re sad, Mom,” Chelsea said with a sad sigh. “It makes  _ me _ sad.”   
“I’m fine.” Hillary faked a smile.    
Chelsea frowned but she didn’t want to push her mother. “Can I hold Cassandra?”    
“Of course,” Hillary answered as she passed the baby over to her big sister.    
Chelsea smiled and sat down on the edge of Hillary’s bed with Cassandra nestled in her arms.    
“She’s so cute,” She marvelled before she leaned down and gently kissed her sister’s forehead.    
Hillary smiled over at her two daughters. “She reminds me of you.”    
“Really?” Chelsea grinned.    
Hillary nodded. “She’s a very alert baby just like you were.”    
“Aww,” Chelsea softly smiled. She chuckled as Cassandra excitedly cooed and kicked her little legs. “I think she’s excited today.”   
“Looks like it.” Hillary chuckled as Hayley walked over to her and reached her arms out to her mother.    
Hillary softly smiled as she scooped her up. “Hi, Princess.”   
Hayley wrapped her arms around Hillary’s neck and gently kissed her mother’s cheek.    
“Aww, thank you, sweetheart.” Hillary tenderly smiled as her spirits were already starting to be lifted just by being around her family.    
“I love you, Mommy,” Hayley said.    
“And  _ I  _ love you, Princess.” Hillary grinned.    
Hayley giggled and grinned at her mother in return.    
“Can we go out for breakfast?” Chelsea suddenly asked.    
“Um, sure.” Hillary shrugged.    
“What’s wrong?” Chelsea frowned, seeing her mother’s lack of a reaction to the suggestion.   
“Nothing.” Hillary sighed. “I’m just not in the greatest mood right now.”   
“Okay, we can just get room service then.” Chelsea said with a shrug of her own.    
“No!” Hillary said a little more forcefully than she intended to. “I mean, we can go out for breakfast if you want, sweetheart.”    
“Jessie?” Hayley suddenly asked.    
Hillary managed to chuckle as she put Hayley down. “You’ll see Jessie and Sophia in a few hours. Daddy and I will pick them up from the airport later today.”   
“Oh, okay.” Hayley happily nodded at that.    
“Hillary, can I talk to you in the other room?” Bill suddenly asked.    
“Oh, sure.” Hillary nodded and slightly shrugged.   
“Watch your sisters,” Bill said to Chelsea before he grabbed Hillary’s hand and led her into the other room. 

  
“Why are you so upset, sweetheart?” He asked, staring down at Hillary tenderly as he led her over to his bed and sat down with her.    
“I talked to Scott,” Hillary explained softly, looking down at her fingernails.    
“Oh.” Bill nodded, waiting for Hillary to continue.    
“He was talking about committing suicide again and even though I know it's just talk, hopefully…” Her voice wavered. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, Bill. And I don’t know what to do. I want a divorce and I told him I’m in love with  _ you _ but I feel _so_ guilty.” She harshly sighed. “If he kills himself, Cassandra would grow up without a father and it would be all my fault.” She sighed again and put her head in her hands.   
“Hillary,” Bill said softly, reaching for her hand and gently squeezing it. “You can’t keep letting him guilt you like this.”   
She teared up. “What should I do?”   
“I honestly don’t know, honey.” Bill sighed and bit his lip. “I mean, you’ve tried reasoning with him.”   
Hillary quickly wiped her eyes and nodded. “I don’t know what to do.”   
“Well,” Bill said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “We’ll figure it out.”   
“How?” Hillary asked as tears quickly pooled in her eyes again.   
“Well, I’m not sure yet,” Bill admitted as he leaned down and softly pecked the top of her head. “But we  _ will  _ figure it out. Together. Okay?”    
Hillary nodded and sniffled. She took a shaky breath and nodded again. “Okay.”   
Bill nodded in return. “Okay. Now come on. Let’s go get some breakfast and then we can pick up Jess and Sophia from the airport afterwards.”   
Hillary nodded again as Bill reassuringly squeezed her hand.   
Bill knew regardless of whatever storms were coming their way in the coming days or weeks ahead, that him and Hillary would face them _together_. 

To Be Continued... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A (shit) storm is a brewing and Scott is still causing trouble for Hillary but like the end of the chapter says, Bill and Hillary are ready to weather the storm together. 
> 
> I thought they would only be in Chicago for a chapter or two at most when I was planning the story in my head but apparently this story has a mind of its own and the family moments will be in the next chapter hopefully lol. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the update and that you all had an amazing week! If you follow me on Tumblr, you know by now that it was an exciting week for me :) I hope everybody has an awesome and relaxing (and safe!!) weekend and until next time!


	33. Family Fun in the Windy City

“God, do you know how much I’ve missed you?”  
The family was walking down the streets of downtown Chicago to a cute breakfast place that Hillary, Bill, and Jessica used to frequent when they all lived in Chicago twenty years prior. Chelsea was walking a few feet ahead of Bill and Hillary, holding Hayley's hand.   
Hillary smiled to herself as she watched her daughters just up ahead. “I missed you, too, Bill.” She stared down at Cassandra who was peacefully sleeping in her car seat and sighed. “I’ve been lying to myself about being happy. I mean...I was happy. At first anyways. But it was a...different kind of happy.”  
Bill nodded, somewhat understanding what she was getting at.  
“It was a secure kind of happiness,” Hillary explained. “Like I knew I would be taken care of. At least financially. But with you...it’s a secure kind of happiness plus a million other kinds of happy.” Her face broke out into a small grin.  
“Well that’s good to know.” Bill grinned in return as Hillary lazily wrapped the arm that wasn’t carrying Cassandra’s car seat around Bill’s waist. “Let’s move to Upstate New York.” He suddenly said.  
“Really?” Hillary asked excitedly.  
Bill nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. It’s what you want and I think it would be fun.”  
Hillary grinned and nodded excitedly. “Okay!” She giggled slightly to herself. “Let’s do it. Right after I officially end things with Scott of course.”  
Bill nodded understandingly. “Sounds good.”  
“I’m really happy,” Hillary suddenly said.  
“Me, too.” Bill smiled and nodded again.  
“But we’re not remarrying,” Hillary announced. “At least not any time soon.”  
“I know.” Bill nodded. “I understand. I figured you wouldn’t want to remarry any time soon and honestly, I’m just happy to be with you again.”  
Hillary nodded and sighed in relief. “Thank you for understanding.”  
“And I don’t think it’s a good idea to rush into things right now after everything that we’ve both been through these last few months,” Bill explained.  
Hillary nodded in agreement. “ But I am so happy and relieved to be with you again, too.” She smiled over at him as they arrived at the restaurant. 

* * * * * *

While they were waiting for their food to arrive a while later and Chelsea had taken Hayley to the washroom to wash their hands before eating, Bill took a sip of his coffee and stared intently at Hillary.  
“What?” Hillary asked, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden as she took a sip of her own coffee.  
“You look different now than you did when we were together,” Bill pointed out. Hillary’s hair was longer and blonder ever since she got engaged to Scott and progressively throughout her marriage to him, she had started wearing fancier clothes and more makeup. “Not in a bad way,” Bill corrected upon seeing the look of insecurity on Hillary’s face after he had made his comment. “It’s just...different.”  
“You hate it?” Hillary asked quietly, as she nervously ran her right hand through her long blonde hair.  
“You’re beautiful, Hillary. No matter what,” Bill assured her, reaching across the table to take her hand. “You’re absolutely gorgeous, Hill. But I also think you’re still beautiful without makeup and fancy clothes.”  
Hillary nervously nodded.  
“You have never realized how beautiful you are, Hillary,” Bill said, in a voice filled with awe. “You don’t need any of that.”  
“Bullshit.”  
“No, not bullshit,” Bill admonished. “You’re gorgeous. I’ve always thought that and I always will.”  
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary said before she took another sip of her coffee.  
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill replied with a small smile. “I’m just telling the truth.”  
  


* * * * * 

“No! No baby!” Hayley loudly whined as the family got into their rental car after breakfast to go pick up Jessica and Sophia from the airport. Chelsea wanted to come with Bill and Hillary which meant that Cassandra and Hayley were tagging along as well.  
“Aww, be nice, Hayley,” Hillary said softly as she buckled Cassandra’s car seat in while Bill buckled Hayley in.  
Hayley huffed in annoyance. “Mama!” She whined.  
Hillary sighed. Even though it was still early in the day, her daughter was already clearly in need of a nap. Hillary realized she could already use one herself.  
“Jessie!” Hayley suddenly whined, missing her oldest sister.  
“You’ll see Jessie _very_ soon. Okay?” Hillary said.  
Hayley continued whining loudly as Bill and Hillary got into the front seat.  
“Someone needs a nap,” Chelsea said.  
“Noooo!” Hayley whined. “I’m not sleepy!”  
Hillary suddenly harshly sighed as Hayley’s whining caused Cassandra to wake up from her nap and start crying.  
“Welcome to my life,” Hillary said, looking over at Bill as he started driving.  
Bill gave Hillary a sympathetic chuckle. “I’m sorry.”  
“I’m so tired,” Hillary groaned. Even though she had slept better than ever being back in Bill’s arms the previous night, Cassandra had still woken up several times throughout the night. She sleepily rubbed her eyes.  
“Well, we can go back and rest at the hotel as soon as we pick up Jess and Sophia,” Bill said.  
Hillary nodded in relief and leaned her head against the headrest of the passenger seat. She smiled to herself. “I’m so excited to see them.” It had only been a day since they had all last seen each other but Hillary had still desperately been missing her oldest daughter and granddaughter.  
“Me, too,” Bill nodded with a smile of his own. “I’ve missed her.”  
“She missed you, too, I’m sure,” Hillary replied. “She loves you so much.”  
“I love her, too,” Bill smiled softly as Hayley finally calmed down and excitedly squealed in the backseat.  
“Jessie!” Hayley exclaimed.  
Hillary turned around in her seat to look at her daughters. She smiled at Hayley. “Are you excited to see Jess and Sophia?”  
Hayley nodded excitedly. “My Jessie!”  
“Hey, she’s my Jessie,” Hillary teased as she turned back around in her seat to face the road.  
“No! Mine!” Hayley giggled. “My Jessie.”  
Hillary just chuckled to herself as Chelsea got Cassandra to stop crying in the backseat.  
“My sweet babies,” Hillary smiled softly to herself.  
No! No baby!” Hayley whined and kicked her legs, somewhat jealous of the attention her baby sister got.  
Chelsea sighed, knowing Hayley was just tired and cranky. “You love the baby, Hayls.”  
Hayley shook her head. “Nooooo.”  
“Yes you do,” Bill urged.  
“No.” Hayley shook her head again. “The baby’s mean.”  
“No she isn’t.” Chelsea chuckled.  
“Yeah, Hayls. She’s adorable like you,” Bill tried.  
Hayley frowned. “No!” She kicked her legs again. “Where’s Jessie?”  
“We’re on our way to pick up Jessie,” Hillary said through gritted teeth, feeling tired and frustrated.  
“Hey, I have an idea you guys,” Bill said, noticing Hillary’s frustration. “Why don’t we play the quiet game, Hayley? You can get a treat after.” Bill and Hillary usually didn’t resort to bribing their children but desperate times called for desperate measures.  
“Okay!” Hayley nodded and put her little finger over her lips.  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said to Bill and leaned her head back against the head rest again.  
“Done playing,” Hayley said a moment later.  
Bill shook his head to himself and tried not to laugh. “That sure didn’t last long, sweetie.”  
Hillary quietly groaned to herself. It was going to be a _long_ drive to the airport.  
  


* * * * *

“You and Chelsea go get Jess. I’ll stay here with Hayley and Cassandra,” Bill offered to Hillary as he pulled into a parking spot since both girls were still extremely cranky.  
Hillary and Chelsea nodded, thinking that sounded like a good idea due to how cranky the newborn and the toddler were.   
“We’ll be back soon,” Chelsea said. 

* * * * *

A few minutes later, both women grinned as they saw Jessica and Sophia enter the arrivals gate.  
“Hi!” Hillary excitedly said as Jessica approached them with her luggage and Sophia’s stroller in tow.  
“Hey!” Jessica grinned at her mother in return and tightly hugged her.  
“I’m so glad to see you, sweetie,” Hillary smiled to herself and she buried her head in the crook of Jessica’s shoulder.  
“Me, too,” Jessica said, squeezing her mom.   
They broke apart so that Chelsea could give her sister a hug too.  
“And how are you doing, cutie?” Hillary asked Sophia, as she squatted down to be eye level with her granddaughter who was sitting contently in her stroller.  
Sophia excitedly babbled and blew Hillary a kiss.  
Hillary chuckled softly and gently pecked Sophia's temple as she stood back up.  
“How was the plane ride?” Chelsea asked, knowing that that was her niece’s first time ever on a plane.  
“It was pretty good,” Jessica nodded. “Sophia did better than I expected. She slept through most of it so now she’s wide awake and hyper.” Jessica chuckled.  
“Well, maybe she can cheer up Hayley,” Hillary said as she and Chelsea grabbed Jessica’s luggage. “I think she’s a little jealous of Cassandra.”  
“Hayley is jealous of everyone,” Jessica laughed.  
“She doesn’t like to have to share me. That’s for sure,” Hillary chuckled.  
“I don’t either,” Jessica teased with a smirk.  
“Aww, did you miss your mama?” Hillary teased in return with a smile of her own, happy to know that she had been missed.  
“Very much so,” Jessica nodded while pushing Sophia’s stroller.  
“I missed you, too,” Hillary said as they started walking out of the airport terminal and back to the car.  
“So...Bill’s with you?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary slightly smirked. “Yep.”  
“Great!” Jessica looked over at Chelsea and saw her sister giving her a conspiratorial grin causing Jessica to give one back to Chelsea in return.  
“Yeah, it is great.” Hillary smiled and nodded dreamily. “He’s great. Everything is going great.” Other than her phone conversation with Scott earlier that day and Hayley’s crankiness, Hillary was otherwise having a great day and was liking where things between her and Bill currently stood.  
“Awesome!” Jessica nodded, feeling happy and relieved that her mother was happy again. “I’m so glad,” she added as they arrived at the car.  
“Hi!” Bill greeted them as he got out of the car to help with Jessica’s luggage and Sophia’s stroller.  
“Hey!” Jessica grinned at him and returned the hug he gave her.  
He squeezed Jessica tightly before they broke apart so that Bill could put the luggage and the stroller into the trunk of their rented SUV.  
“My Jessie!” Hayley excitedly squealed as Jessica opened the door to buckle Sophia into her car seat.  
Jessica chuckled and smiled at her younger sister. “Hi, Hayley.”  
Hayley suddenly huffed and rolled her eyes when she saw Sophia. “Nooooo! No baby!”  
“Sorry, Hayley,” Jessica chuckled again as she buckled Sophia in. “Baby Sophia is here to stay.”  
Hayley groaned. “No! My Jessie!”  
Jessica laughed quietly and shook her head to herself as she dug through Sophia’s diaper bag, looking for a toy to calm Hayley down.  
“Princess Ariel!” Hayley gasped and grinned when Jessica passed her a _Little Mermaid_ Barbie doll of Princess Ariel. “Thanks, Jessie!”  
“No problem,” Jessica chuckled again as she got Sophia settled and got into the car herself. “Hi, Cassandra!” She grinned as she peered down into Cassandra’s car seat. “God, she’s already getting so big!”  
“Oh God, I know,” Hillary agreed. It had only been about two weeks since Cassandra was born but Hillary was already noticing small changes and discovering new things about her newborn daughter every day. She suddenly yawned. “Ugh. I’m exhausted.”  
“Why don’t you take a nap when we get back to the hotel?” Bill suggested as he got back inside the car and started it up.  
“I definitely am,” Hillary said with a nod just as Hayley suddenly started crying.  
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jessica gently asked her.   
“No baby!” Hayley whined.  
“Hayley,” Chelsea sighed. “They’re not bothering you.”  
But Chelsea’s words did little to calm Hayley down as she kept wailing.  
“Hayley, stop crying!” Hillary firmly said, getting frustrated again.  
“No!” Hayley whined. “My mama and my Jessie! No babies!”  
“Please stop crying, Hayley,” Hillary begged, feeling like she wanted to cry herself.  
“You’ll feel better after your nap,” Bill said reassuringly as he reached over and held Hillary’s left hand while he drove.  
“I hope so,” Hillary said. “I’m in a horrible mood.” She harshly sighed to herself.  
Bill frowned to himself and tried to drive back to the hotel as quickly as possible without going over the speed limit.

* * * * * *

As soon as they got back to the hotel, no one was more eager than Hillary to go up to their room. As soon as they arrived to their room and Bill swiped the keycard, Hillary stormed inside as everybody else filed in behind her.  
“You need a nap too, Hayley,” Bill said, scooping his daughter up into his arms as Hillary immediately crawled into bed.  
“No!” Hayley yelled and shook her head.   
“Yes!” Bill said in a firm yet gentle tone.  
“No!” Hayley kicked her legs.  
“You need to calm down, sweetheart,” Bill gently said. “Your attitude is ridiculous right now.”  
“No babies!” Hayley whined.  
Hillary groaned to herself as she tried to fall asleep while Bill sighed to himself.  
“I want mommy!” Hayley whined.  
“Well you’re stuck with daddy right now so calm down. Okay?” Bill tried.  
“No babies!” Hayley whined again.  
“I can watch Cassandra while you put Hayley down for a nap,” Jessica offered.  
“No nap!” Hayley whined, tearing up again.  
Bill sighed again and took Hayley into the other room, hoping he could calm her down.  
“Please calm down, sweetie,” Bill gently said, carrying her over to his bed.  
Hayley continued crying inconsolably as they heard Sophia start to whine and cry in the other room.  
“Oh, brother,” Bill groaned to himself and closed his eyes in frustration as Jessica ran into the room.  
“Sophia wants her Princess Ariel doll back, I think,” Jessica said, with a frantic expression on her face.  
“Hayley, can you please give Princess Ariel back to Sophie?” Bill gently asked, when he realized that Hayley was still clutching the toy in her little fingers.  
“No!” Hayley screeched as she angrily threw the doll across the room.   
Bill sighed in frustration. “Hayley. We don’t throw toys. You know that. What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He gently rubbed soothing circles into her back.   
Hayley shook her head and continued crying as wet, hot tears rolled down her tiny little cheeks.  
“Daddy’s got you. It’s okay, sweetheart. Just close your eyes and go to sleep,” Bill soothed, knowing that his daughter probably just needed a nap.  
“No!” Hayley whined. “No nap and no babies!”  
“It’s okay,” Bill soothed. “It’s just you and me right now, baby girl. Calm down, sweetheart.”  
“My daddy,” Hayley said as she wrapped her arms around her dad’s neck.  
“That’s right,” Bill quietly murmured, as he continued gently rubbing Hayley’s back.  
She continued whining quietly but eventually she started to slowly calm down. She yawned and gently rested her head against Bill’s shoulder.  
“My daddy,” she sleepily cooed again.  
“That’s right,” Bill nodded. “Just go to sleep, baby girl,” he added when it looked like Hayley was drifting off.  
She yawned again and closed her eyes just as Jessica tip toed back inside the room and grabbed Sophia’s Princess Ariel doll from where it had landed after Hayley threw it.  
Bill carefully laid a now sleeping Hayley down into his bed and pulled the covers up and around her, tucking her in. He quietly walked away, wanting to make sure that Hillary was okay. Wanting to give their parents some privacy, Chelsea and Jessica decided to go for a walk around the hotel with Sophia.  
“You okay, Hill?” Bill checked, as he quietly creeped over to Hillary’s bedside.  
“I just feel really stressed out,” Hillary admitted with a sad sigh as she looked up at Bill. “Nothing is going right on this trip so far. That’s all.” She frowned and sadly sighed again.  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Bill offered as he laid down in bed beside Hillary.  
Hillary shook her head. “Not really.”  
Bill nodded, not wanting to push his ex-wife, knowing that she would open up to him when she was ready. “Okay.” He wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist and gently squeezed her, trying to show her that he was there for her, no matter what. They quietly lay there together for several moments, just enjoying each other’s company and their physical closeness to one another when Hillary suddenly broke the silence.  
“I want to go home, Bill.”  
“Oh.” Bill sounded taken aback but he nodded understandingly anyways. “Oh, okay. Well, I guess I can try to get our flight home changed to an earlier flight. It’s not a problem.”  
“It’s okay.” Hillary harshly sighed upon seeing the look on Bill's face and sadly shook her head. “I don’t even know where or what _home_ is right now.”  
Bill frowned to himself as he gently ran his fingers through Hillary’s hair. “Well, we’ll figure that out, baby. Slowly but surely. Okay?”  
Hillary nodded and sadly sighed again as a million thoughts were running through her mind all at once.  
“You and the girls are welcome to stay with Jess, Sophia, and I at the townhouse any time if you don’t want to go back to your house. You know that,” Bill offered.  
Hillary shook her head and sighed again. “There’s not enough room.”  
Even though Jessica’s townhouse had three relatively large bedrooms and a futon in the family room in the basement for guests, it definitely wasn’t a spacious enough home to accommodate all seven of them comfortably. “It’s fine, Bill.” She harshly sighed. “I’ll just go back to my house until I can sell it.”  
“We can start looking at places in Upstate New York when we get back to Connecticut,” Bill offered, hoping that that suggestion would make Hillary feel slightly better.  
“I’d like that.” Hillary nodded and managed to crack a smile. “That sounds nice.” She rolled over and rested her head gently against Bill’s chest. “I’m sorry I’m in such a bad mood today,” she apologized with a sad sigh. "My hormones and emotions have been all over the place ever since I had Cassandra."   
“It’s okay,” Bill assured her as he gently stroked her hair again.  
Hillary finally managed to relax. She sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes.  
Bill leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head.  
“I love you,” he murmured quietly.  
“I know,” Hillary murmured in return. “I love you, too, Bill.”  
Bill gently played with Hillary’s hair as she drifted off.  
“I’m so tired,” Hillary mumbled sleepily.  
“Then go to sleep,” Bill softly said. He leaned down and softly kissed the top of her head again. She cuddled up to Bill as Bill gently rubbed his hand in soothing circles across Hillary’s back.  
Hillary sighed contentedly as she started drifting off to sleep. There was no better place to be in that exact moment than exactly where she was in Bill’s arms.  
  


* * * * * *

A while later, Jessica, Chelsea and Sophia came back to the room where they found Bill watching TV with the volume turned down low.   
“Hey,” Jessica whispered. She was carrying a tired looking Sophia in her arms, whose sleepy little face was gently resting against Jessica’s left shoulder.  
“Hey,” Bill whispered in return. He smiled softly at his daughters and granddaughter.  
“I guess everyone’s exhausted,” Jessica whispered, noticing that her mother was sound asleep but also that Cassandra was now sleeping soundly in her bassinet as well.  
“Looks like it,” Bill nodded.  
Jessica and Chelsea went into the other room where Hayley was napping, in order to give their parents some privacy and to let their mother and baby sister nap in peace.  
Chelsea got into her bed and grabbed the book she had been reading from the nightstand while Jessica sat on the edge of Bill’s bed with an exhausted Sophia in her arms. As her daughter opened her tired eyes to stare up at her mother, Jessica felt like she could melt into a puddle right then and there. Filled with emotion and awe as she stared tenderly at her baby girl, Jessica smiled softly down at her daughter.  
“Hi, my gorgeous girl.”  
“Mama,” Sophia quietly cooed, as she stared up at her mother in return.  
Jessica leaned down and gently kissed the top of Sophia’s head, inhaling her daughter’s sweet scent as she did so.  
“Go to sleep, baby,” Jessica murmured quietly as Sophia snuggled up closer to her and closed her tired eyes.  
Jessica smiled softly to herself as she cuddled Sophia close to her chest as her daughter drifted off to sleep. She gently lay her sleeping daughter in bed next to a still sleeping Hayley and decided to go check on her parents once more.  
“How are you doing?” She quietly asked Bill, as she sat down in the inviting looking armchair that was next to Hillary’s bed.   
“I’m okay,”Bill whispered, nodding. He slightly shrugged and frowned as he looked down. “I’m just worried about your mother and I’m absolutely terrified of losing her again, to be completely honest with you.”  
“I don’t think you’re going to lose her again,” Jessica assured her stepfather, staring at him softly. _Just don’t fuck things up this time, Bill_ she thought to herself but didn’t speak aloud.  
“God, I hope not,” Bill said, staring down at a sleeping Hillary.  
“She’s really happy,” Jessica assured her stepfather with a half smile.  
Bill weakly smiled at that in return but he quietly sighed and frowned again. “She’s worried about Scott.”  
“Yeah.” Jessica frowned and sighed also. “I know. But that’s understandable. I guess.” She slightly shrugged. She shook her head to herself. “He’s a literal psychopath though.”  
Bill just nodded and frowned as he cuddled up to Hillary.  
“You two are too cute together.” Jessica grinned as she noticed Hillary cuddle up to him in return in her sleep.  
Bill chuckled quietly to himself at Jessica’s comment as Jessica grabbed the television remote and started flipping through the channels. She chuckled to herself a few minutes later when just as she had landed on a rerun of _Project Runway,_ she looked over towards her parents and realized that Bill had fallen asleep himself.  
Deciding to let them sleep, she watched TV for a few minutes until Cassandra suddenly woke up and started loudly crying. Jessica quickly got up and gently scooped up her baby sister. She took her into the other room before her cries could wake up Hillary but it was too late.  
As Hillary woke up and her eyes adjusted to the light, she smiled to herself, feeling happy to be waking up in Bill’s embrace. Bill started to stir after Hillary lightly pecked his cheek. Hillary weakly smiled at him as he opened his eyes. “Hi,” she whispered, staring softly at him.  
“Hey there,” Bill whispered in return, softly smiling back at Hillary.  
“How was your nap?” Hillary quietly asked, as she reached over and gently lay her hand against Bill’s left cheek.  
“It was perfect,” Bill whispered.  
“Mine, too,” Hillary quietly said in return with a tender stare.  
“Just like you.” Bill weakly smiled at Hillary.  
Hillary smiled shyly at her ex-husband before she leaned in and gently kissed him.  
Bill quietly moaned into the kiss. He savored her taste and the softness of her lips for several moments before they had to break apart for air. He wrapped his arms around Hillary again and gently squeezed her.  
“We should get ready for dinner,” Hillary suggested as she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and realized it was already getting close to dinner time.  
“Yeah.” Bill nodded in agreement but he made no move to get out of bed.  
“This is comfy.” Hillary sighed contentedly as she snuggled up to Bill.  
“Good,” Bill murmured before he leaned down and gently kissed Hillary’s forehead.  
“I’m going to move up my appointment with the divorce attorney,” Hillary decided, looking up at Bill. “I’m going to call his office first thing tomorrow morning and reschedule my appointment to the day after we get back to Connecticut. I don’t want to waste _anymore_ time. I need a separation agreement drawn up ASAP.”  
Bill nodded and grinned. “That sounds perfect.”  
“So you’re okay with all of this?” Hillary double checked.  
“I am _more than_ okay with it,” Bill reassured his ex-wife with a smile and a hopeful expression on his face.  
Hillary nodded in agreement and sighed in relief. “I just want to start over with you if that's alright.”  
“And maybe remarry?” Bill tried with a hopeful expression on his face.  
“Maybe one day but I can’t make any promises yet,” Hillary answered. She reached down and gently squeezed Bill’s hand. “Honestly though…” She gave Bill a conspiratorial, excited toothy grin. “I want to date you all over again. Like it's our first time dating again.”  
“Well, that sounds like fun.” Bill grinned excitedly at Hillary in return, loving that idea.  
“And then _maybe_ we’ll eventually remarry one day.” Hillary quietly sighed to herself and shook her head. “I don’t know yet.”  
“Okay.” Bill nodded understandingly, thinking that that sounded fair enough for now. “We can see where things go.” He nodded again.  
“I do know that I just want to be _with_ you again,” Hillary explained as she gently squeezed his hand.  
“Oh, Hillary.” Bill looked at her, a mixture of relief and excitement written across his face. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that.” He gave Hillary a watery smile as he teared up slightly.  
“I’m so happy to be with you again.” Hillary smiled softly and reassuringly at Bill in return as she gently stroked his left cheek with her thumb.  
Bill leaned down and gently kissed her forehead again. “You’re so beautiful,” he complimented, which elicited a blush from Hillary. Her cheeks flushed a shade of light pink as she gently pecked Bill’s cheek in return.  
“I mean it, Hillary. You are _gorgeous_ .” Bill stared down at her in awe.   
“Thank you,” Hillary replied with a slight giggle. She happily closed her eyes as Bill leaned down and passionately kissed her again.  
Bill was moaning into the kiss just as Jessica burst into the room without knocking first.  
“Oh, get a room you guys,” Jessica teased, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had interrupted her parents but she also felt incredibly happy and excited for them.  
“Sorry, Jess.” Hillary giggled as she broke away from the kiss and rolled off of Bill. "To be fair, we _did_ get a room." She chuckled.   
Jessica just shook her head to herself and chuckled. “Break it up and spend some time with your favourite daughter,” she said with a wink. “I missed you guys.”  
“Yeah, I should spend more time with Chelsea,” Hillary teased.  
“Ohhh, ouch. That one burns,” Jessica joked with a smirk.  
Hillary chuckled as she got out of bed to give Jessica a hug.  
Jessica grinned as her mother embraced her and she tightly hugged her mother back in return.  
“Hi,” Jessica whispered.  
“Hey,” Hillary replied, softly smiling to herself. “I love you, Kitty Cat.”  
“I love you, too, Mom,” Jessica smiled at her mother in return as they broke apart.  
“We should get ready for dinner,” Hillary suddenly said.  
Jessica nodded. “Let’s go somewhere fancy.”  
“With two toddlers and a newborn?” Hillary scoffed. “That’s not a good idea, honey.”  
“Aww, come on!” Jessica tried. “Let’s live a little, Mom.”  
“Jess, honey. There’s no way all three of them will be in a good mood all at the same time,” Hillary pointed out with a sigh.  
Jessica sighed. “Fine.”  
“Don’t be upset. We can still have a nice time,” Hillary pointed out.  
“Fine,” Jessica repeated.  
“Cheer up, Jess,” Hillary said, seeing the slightly down expression on her daughter’s face.  
“I’m cheery!” Jessica insisted. “In fact, I’m better than ever.”  
“Good.” Hillary nodded and smiled just as Cassandra woke up again and started cooing quietly.  
“Aww, look who’s awake,” Hillary cooed as she walked over to Cassandra’s bassinet and gently scooped the baby up. “You didn’t nap for very long, baby girl,” Hillary pointed out as she held Cassandra close to her. She smiled down at her daughter as Cassandra continued to happily coo. “But you’re wide awake now, aren’t you?”  
“Mommy!” Hayley called out from the other room, awake from her nap also.  
Hillary passed Cassandra over to Bill and went into the other room to check on Hayley.  
“Feeling better after your nap?” Hillary asked her, as she scooped her up.  
Hayley nodded and gently wrapped her arms around Hillary’s neck. “I love you, mommy.”  
“I love you, too.” Hillary softly smiled and gently pecked Hayley’s cheek. “And I’m glad you’re in a better mood, baby girl.”  
As Sophia also started stirring and waking up from her nap, Jessica came into the room and gently picked her up.  
“She is so much like you, Jess,” Lynette pointed out as Sophia sleepily babbled away.  
“You think so?” Jessica asked, smiling softly.  
“No, I _know_ so,” Hillary replied with a smile of her own.  
“Aww,” Jessica said as she gently rubbed Sophia’s back.  
“You were just as cute as she is,” Hillary complimented, smiling at her granddaughter.  
“Thanks, mom.” Jessica grinned. “In fact, I bet I was probably even cuter.”  
“You’re something else sometimes, Jess,” Hillary teased as she shook her head to herself and chuckled. “Always so cocky.”  
“Not cocky. Just bold,” Jessica teased with a smirk.  
“Is that what it is?” Hillary joked.  
Jessica smirked again and nodded. “But in all seriousness. Sophia is ten times better than I’ll ever be. She’s so incredible, Mom.”  
“She definitely is,” Hillary nodded in agreement. She was still in awe sometimes watching her own daughter be a mother to _her_ daughter. She was relieved that Jessica had finally come into her own and found her groove as a single parent.   
Sophia grinned and reached her arms out as Bill came into the room to see what everyone else was up to.  
“Hi!” Bill grinned at his granddaughter in return and grabbed her from Jessica.  
“Hi!” Sophia squealed.  
“Hi,” Bill repeated with a chuckle at how adorable and sweet his granddaughter was.  
Hayley started wriggling around in Hillary’s arms which was Hillary’s cue to put her down.  
“I love you, mama and daddy,” Hayley sweetly said.  
“And we love you, too, sweetheart.” Bill looked down and smiled at her.  
“And do you love your sisters, too?” Hillary asked.  
Hayley nodded. “I love Jessie and Chelsea. No babies.” She shook her head. “No Cassie and no Sophie. Just mama, daddy, Jessie, and Chelsea.”  
“Aww, Hayls,” Chelsea closed the book she’d been reading and put it back down on the nightstand. “They love you.”  
Hayley huffed in return after that comment.  
“Don’t worry. When they’re older they’ll all be best friends, I’m sure,” Bill said.  
“I hope so,” Jessica said with a sigh.  
“Mama!” Sophia suddenly whined reaching her arms back out towards Jessica.  
“What is it, baby girl?” Jessica asked, grabbing her daughter from Bill. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” She gently rubbed Sophia’s back. “Shhhh,” she soothed.  
“We should probably go to dinner,” Hillary realized. “Let me just go feed Cassandra and then we can go.”  
Everyone nodded and started getting ready to go out for dinner. 

“Are you hungry, my sweet baby?” Hillary cooed as she went into the other room and walked over to Cassandra’s bassinet.  
Cassandra quietly cooed as Hillary scooped her up and sat down on the edge of the bed to feed her.  
“There you go, baby girl,” Hillary whispered as she pulled down her shirt and Cassandra latched on.  
Hayley walked into the room and frowned at the two of them.  
“Hayley, what’s wrong?” Bill asked, coming into the room behind her and seeing the look on Hayley’s face.  
“No baby!” Hayley whined, tearing up. “My mama!”  
“I’m Cassandra’s mama, too, Hayls,” Hillary said with a sigh.  
Hayley shook her head and cried. “Mama no love Hayley anymore.”  
“Oh, sweetie!” Hillary looked stricken. “Yes I do! I love you _so_ much, baby girl. Come here.” With her free hand, she patted the empty spot on the bed beside her. “I love all of you _so_ much. Mama’s sorry if she hasn’t been showing it lately.” Hillary sadly sighed to herself and mentally added it to the long list of things she felt like she had messed up lately.  
“You show it, Hillary. Very well in fact,” Bill assured his ex-wife. “She’s just having some jealousy issues.”  
Hayley continued crying and whining.  
“Oh, it’s okay, Hillary,” Bill said, noticing the guilty looking expression on Hillary’s face. “She’s fine. She’s probably just hungry.”  
“I still feel bad.” Hillary frowned and sighed again.  
“It’s okay, Hill.” Bill came over to her and gently pecked her cheek. “I love you,” he said with a soft smile, hoping that it would cheer his ex-wife up some.  
“I love you, too.” Hillary softly smiled at Bill in return.  
“Come on, darling. Let’s go to dinner.”

* * * * *

The family had decided on a nice Italian restaurant that struck a good balance between being classy but still being family friendly. They were enjoying their food, laughing, and talking about their plans for the rest of the summer as well as the future.  
“I’m thinking of moving back to New York City when Sophia is a little older,” Jessica announced, while twirling a strand of pasta from her fettuccine alfredo on her fork.  
“Really?” Hillary asked, with a hint of surprise to her voice.  
Jessica nodded. “I miss the city and all the good journalism jobs are there.”  
Bill nodded understandingly. “I think that’d be good for you, honey.”  
Jessica nodded and softly smiled at her stepfather.  
“Actually...I’m thinking of moving back to New York, too,” Hillary admitted. “Upstate though.”  
“Really?” Chelsea asked, smiling at her mother before she took a bite of her pepperoni pizza.  
Hillary nodded and nervously bit her lip. “...With your dad.”  
“Really?” Now it was Jessica’s turn to ask that. She tried to keep her facial expression neutral but she had trouble _not_ expressing her utter joy and elation at this revelation.  
Bill nodded and slightly shrugged. “It looks that way.”  
“That sounds really good.” Chelsea happily said before she took a sip of her coke.  
“Yeah, I think so, too.” Hillary smiled softly and took a sip of her Chardonnay. She reached out with her free hand and gently ran her fingers through Chelsea’s curly hair.  
Sophia tried to get her aunt’s attention by holding her Princess Ariel doll out to Chelsea.  
“Princess Ariel is pretty cool, isn’t she, sweetie?” Chelsea asked with a smile.  
“No! My Chelsea!” Hayley whined, glaring at Sophia.  
“Hayley, stop it,” Bill said with a frustrated sigh.  
“No!” Hayley screeched. “No babies!”  
“Hayley, calm down,” Chelsea said, taking a break from eating her dinner to pull her sister on to her lap. “It’s okay.” She gave her sister a reassuring squeeze.  
“Hi, Chelsea,” Hayley grinned up at her sister, instantly calming down. “I love you."  
“I love you, too,” Chelsea smiled. “Now finish your dinner,” she encouraged.  
Hayley nodded and crawled off of Chelsea’s lap, going back to nibbling on her kids chicken fingers and fries meal.  
“I love Chelsea and Jessie,” Hayley babbled to herself. “No babies.”  
Jessica sighed. “Hayley. There’s no reason to be jealous of Sophia or Cassandra.”  
Hayley frowned and shook her head. “No baby.”  
“This is ridiculous,” Hillary sighed and shook her head. “Hayley, baby. We love everybody equally in this family.”  
“Yeah. We love you, baby girl, but we love Cassandra and Sophia, too,” Bill gently explained.  
Hayley crawled back into Chelsea’s lap and started sobbing as she buried her head in Chelsea’s chest.  
“Oh, honey.” Chelsea sighed and gently rubbed her younger sister’s back. “It’s okay, sweetheart."   
Hillary sighed to herself just as her cell phone started ringing. While Chelsea tried calming Hayley down, Hillary quickly answered the phone.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi,” Scott gruffly said on the other end.  
“Oh, hey,” Hillary said, caught slightly off guard. “I’m in the middle of dinner, Scott. Can I call you back in a bit?”  
“Fine,” Scott said with an annoyed sigh. “Free time is over in fifteen minutes though. I just wanted to call and check on you and Cassandra.”  
“We’re fine,” Hillary assured him. “But I can’t talk right now,” she added in a firm voice.  
“Hilly,” Scott whined. “Please just talk to me for a _few_ minutes. I miss your voice.”  
“I’m in the middle of dinner, Scott!” Hillary argued.  
“You really don’t give a shit about me, do you?” Scott accused in a sharp tone.  
“Don’t start this again,” Hillary warned, stepping away from the table to have some privacy.  
“I was just asking,” Scott said in a sarcastic tone.  
“I care about you,” Hillary insisted. “I just can’t talk to you right this second but we can talk later. I promise.” She wanted to get him off the phone as soon as possible.   
“Fine. Whatever,” Scott said with a huff before he abruptly hung up.  
  


“Sorry about that,” Hillary apologized with a guilty look on her face when she returned to the table. “He’s ridiculous.” She angrily shook her head.  
“Tell me about it,” Jessica said before she took a swig from her glass of red wine.  
“He’s the worst,” Chelsea piped in.  
“He means well, Chels,” Hillary said with a sigh.  
Chelsea scoffed. “He certainly does not, Mom.”  
Hillary sighed again. “Can we please just have a nice dinner and forget about Scott?”  
“I agree,” Jessica nodded. “Let’s just enjoy our dinner and forget about him. Okay?”  
“Fine,” Chelsea agreed.  
“Who wants dessert?” Bill asked, trying to lighten the mood. “The chocolate cake looks good.”  
“Chocolate!” Hayley excitedly squealed and clapped her hands, seeming to be in a much better mood all of a sudden.  
“Do you want to share some chocolate cake with daddy?” Bill asked her with a grin.  
“Yes, please,” Hayley nodded. “And ice cream?”  
Bill chuckled. “Sure. Why not? We are on vacation after all.”  
Hayley excitedly squealed. “Yes!”  
Bill smiled and gently kissed her cheek.  
“Does anyone else want dessert?” Bill checked.  
They all shook their heads and Bill nodded understandingly.  
Hillary peered into Cassandra’s car seat to make sure that her daughter was alright. She smiled softly when she realized that the baby seemed calm and content.  
“Mama?” Hayley said.  
“Yes, baby girl?” Hillary asked, smiling softly at her daughter.  
“Hold me?” Hayley held her arms out to Hillary.  
“Sure,” Hillary grinned and got up from where she was sitting. She scooped Hayley up and sat back down in her seat, getting Hayley settled comfortably in her lap. She watched as Hayley peered curiously into Cassandra’s car seat.  
“Love, baby,” Hayley said.  
“Now that’s more like it.” Hillary smiled. “That’s what I like to see.”  
Hayley grinned at her mother.  
“Hey, mom?” Chelsea suddenly said.  
“Yes, baby?” Hillary asked as she stared softly at Chelsea.  
“Can we all go swimming back at the hotel?”

* * * * * 

And that is how the Rodham-Clinton-Graham family ended up all swimming together after dinner. Luckily the hotel they were staying in had a modern and sleek rooftop pool area and it was a beautiful, warm summer night in Chicago. At that time in the evening, most of the other hotel guests had gone off to do other activities meaning the Rodham-Clinton-Graham’s had the pool area all to themselves.  
Chelsea giggled as she immediately jumped into the water, cannonball style while Jessica took a more cautious approach, and gingerly waded in from the shallow end.  
“It’s cold!” Jessica loudly shrieked once she was waist deep in the water.  
“Mommy!” Hayley impatiently tugged on Hillary’s hand, waiting impatiently for her mother to get in the water with her.  
“I’ll watch the babies.” Bill graciously offered to stay poolside so that Hillary could go swimming with the girls.  
Hillary nodded and smiled gratefully at Bill. “Thanks, Bill.”  
“No problem,” Bill softly smiled at her in return.   
Hayley squealed as Hillary helped her put her water wings on and got eventually in the water with her.  
“This is fun!” Chelsea squealed as she swam over to her mother and younger sister.  
“It is,” Hillary smiled and laughed as she nodded in agreement just as Hayley started splashing Chelsea.  
“Hey!” Chelsea laughed and splashed Hayley back.  
Hayley giggled and clapped her hands.  
“Don’t you dare!” Jessica jokingly threatened when Chelsea got a mischievous look on her face. She looked like she was about to splash her older sister.  
Ignoring her older sister’s wishes, and playing the part of annoying little sister, Chelsea smirked as she splashed Jessica.  
Jessica squealed as the cold water hit her. “I’m gonna get you back for that, Chels!” She warned with a chuckle.  
“Mama!” Sophia whined from the deck chair she was cuddled up with Bill on. She reached out towards the water.  
“Aww, I’ve got her, Bill,” Jessica offered, swimming over to the edge of the pool closest to where Bill was sitting. She reached her arms out for her daughter, hating to hear her daughter whine for her.  
Sophia squealed in delight as Bill passed her over to her mother and Jessica lightly dipped her daughter’s toes into the water.  
“Let me swim with her,” Hillary said with a smile.  
Jessica nodded and passed Sophia over to Hillary while Hillary gave Hayley to Jessica in return. Sophia squealed again as Hillary lightly kissed the top of her head.  
“Mama,” Sophia happily cooed as she watched her mom and aunts swim a few feet away.  
“Look, I’m a mermaid, Jessie!” Hayley squealed as Jessica helped her swim.  
“You are indeed,” Jessica chuckled and smiled the smile that was so reminiscent of her mother’s smile.  
“You are getting to be such a big girl, Soph,” Hillary said in a high pitched voice as she swam with her granddaughter. She was finally noticing all the changes in Sophia that she had missed while she had been preoccupied with Scott the last few weeks and months.  
“She really is,” Jessica agreed with a sad sigh, overhearing her mother’s comment. “She’s getting so big already.”  
“Mama,” Sophia happily cooed again, staring at her mother.  
“Hi!” Jessica grinned excitedly at her daughter.  
“She is _really_ growing up,” Hillary nostalgically said.  
God, I know,” Jessica agreed, wishing she could keep her daughter this small and cute forever.  
“Well, savor this time now because one day you’ll blink and suddenly she’ll be taller than you, and a fully fledged adult getting her Master’s Degree at Yale with a baby girl of her own,” Hillary pointed out with a teasing smirk.  
Jessica chuckled. “Right.”  
“It’s true,” Hillary shrugged and smiled knowingly.  
“I love Yale and I love living in Connecticut and I love my house but ugh, I also miss living in the city so much,” Jessica sighed and frowned.  
“Well, hopefully you can move back eventually if that’s what you want,” Hillary encouraged and smiled softly at her daughter.  
“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Jessica sighed. “I don’t want to uproot Sophia just yet but maybe one day.”  
Hillary nodded understandingly.  
“But wherever I end up, if you guys do end up moving to Upstate New York, I’m going to come visit _all_ the time,” Jessica assured her mother.  
“You’d better!” Hillary teased with a smirk causing Jessica to smirk in return.  
The two women both smiled softly at Sophia as they noticed the one year old yawning.  
“I think I’m done swimming,” Hillary decided, also feeling tired again herself. “I’ll take her and get her ready for bed if you want.”  
“That’s okay. I’ll take her,” Jessica assured her mother. “I’m cold anyways.”  
Hillary nodded. “Let’s get ready for bed.”  
“But it’s still early you guys!” Chelsea insisted, still having fun swimming with Hayley.  
“I’ll stay with them if you two want to go to bed,” Bill graciously offered.  
“Thanks,” Hillary nodded.  
“Goodnight, Hillary. See you in a bit,” Bill said, tenderly smiling at her.  
“Night, Bill,” Hillary said. “Goodnight, girls.”  
“Night, Mom.” Chelsea waved goodbye to her mom and older sister as the two women got out of the pool and went back downstairs to their hotel room with Sophia and Cassandra.

“You can pick a room to sleep in,” Hillary suggested, as the mother and daughter started drying off.  
Jessica unzipped her suitcase and started looking for her and Sophia’s pajamas. The younger woman shrugged. “I can stay in whatever room you’re sleeping in.”  
“Oh, okay,” Hillary awkwardly said. She nervously bit her lip.  
“What is it?” Jessica asked as she found a pair of pajamas to change into, noticing the expression on her mother’s face.  
“I was going to stay with Bill tonight.”  
“Oh, okay. Right. Of course,” Jessica said awkwardly. She nodded. “Well, then Sophia and I will stay with Hayley and Chelsea I guess.”  
Hillary nodded gratefully as she started brushing her damp hair. “Thanks. I love you, sweetie.”  
“Love you, too, Mom.”  
“Want to help me with Sophia’s bath?” Jessica asked.  
“Sure,” Hillary nodded and smiled softly.  
Jessica smiled and nodded before she went into the bathroom to start running the bath water and to change into her pajamas.  
Hillary changed into her own pajamas and peered down at Cassandra who was sleepily cooing away in her bassinet.  
“Go to sleep, princess,” Hillary whispered as she gingerly stroked Cassandra’s cheek with her thumb.  
Cassandra yawned and eventually drifted off to sleep a few minutes later. Hillary grabbed the baby monitor and went into the bathroom where Jessica had started giving Sophia her bath. Sophia was excitedly squealing over the bubbles when Hillary heard her cell phone ring in the other room. She rolled her eyes to herself, knowing who it probably was and she _did not_ want to talk to him.  
“Are you going to answer that?” Jessica asked, as she began shampooing Sophia’s hair.  
“I don’t want to,” Hillary said, shaking her head. “He’s getting on my nerves.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly. She went back to bathing her daughter when she suddenly spoke up a moment later. “You should talk to him long enough to tell him how you feel about him.”  
“He knows how I feel,” Hillary sharply said.  
Jessica just nodded and nervously bit her lip as the phone started ringing again.  
“Just talk to him, Mom,” Jessica tried. “Just long enough to get him to leave you alone for now.”  
Hillary knew Jessica was right but she still hesitated. “I don’t want to. I’ll call him back tomorrow.”  
“No. Do it _now_ ,” Jessica urged, as the phone continued ringing in the other room. “I can handle Sophia’s bath myself.”  
“Ugh, fine.” Hillary harshly sighed and went back inside the room.  
She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and quickly called Scott back.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey,” Hillary quietly said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.   
“Hey, Hillary,” Scott said. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to check on Cassandra.”  
“She’s fine,” Hillary shortly said.  
“Right.” Hillary could hear him nodding through the phone. He nervously swallowed. “Well, I’ll leave you alone then.”  
“We can go ahead and talk about us if you have a minute,” Hillary quietly said before she nervously cleared her throat.  
“You don’t want to be married to me anymore, Hillary. What is there to talk about?”  
“Well, there are things we need to figure out,” Hillary explained. “Like some kind of arrangement for when you’re going to see and spend time with Cassandra.”  
“It’s whatever, Hillary,” Scott retorted with an angry sigh. “I’ll probably miss her first steps and her first word and she’ll probably never even remember who I am no matter what kind of arrangement we work out so I don’t care anymore.”  
“Scott!” Hillary admonished.  
“What?” Scott nonchalantly asked. “I’ve accepted it.”  
“You’re her father!” Hillary insisted.  
“Yeah and I’m not going to be with her most of the time,” Scott said with a sad sigh.  
“Scott, you could see her whenever you wanted,” Hillary offered. “Perhaps we could start with you seeing her every other weekend and then take it from there?”  
“That’s not enough time with her but like I said, it’s whatever,” Scott said with an annoyed huff.  
Hillary sighed. “Scott, I can’t talk to you when you’re being this uncooperative.”  
“Well what do you want from me, Hillary?” Scott exclaimed. “She’s my kid too, damn it!”  
“Scott…”  
“It’s just going to suck being so close to her and not being able to be with her,” Scott explained.  
Hillary sighed again. “I know, Scott, but you could drop by and see her any time you wanted. Really.”  
“Yeah right, Hillary,” Scott sarcastically said. “ _Bill_ is going to get to see my daughter more than I will.” He scoffed in disgust. “I really hate you for doing this, Hillary.”  
Hillary sighed, feeling guilty. “I know and I’m sorry.”  
“Yeah right.” Scott scoffed again. “You don’t give a shit about me, Hillary.”  
“That’s not true, Scott,” Hillary insisted.  
“What the hell am I supposed to do with our house?” Scott asked.”I can’t live in that big house all by myself.”  
“So sell it,” Hillary said. “You could buy a smaller house or a condo. Or go back to your old penthouse?”  
“I sold the penthouse when we moved in together!” Scott snapped. “God, this is too complicated. I think I’m back to suicide.”  
“Scott, stop it!” Hillary yelled.  
“Don’t worry about it. Tell Cassandra I loved her.”  
“Scott.” Hillary teared up. “You can’t be serious, Scott.”  
“I’m being dead serious.”  
“Please don’t do something stupid, Scott,” Hillary begged as tears rolled down her cheeks.  
“I’m going to,” Scott insisted. He heard Hillary sniffle. “Don’t cry, Hillary. It’s okay. This is the best thing for all of us.”  
“No it isn’t!” Hillary sobbed out.  
“I’m barely going to know my daughter, Hillary. What’s the point in living?”  
“Scott, stop it.”  
“I’m addicted to drugs. I’ve hurt my wife in so many ways. I’m an embarrassment, Hillary.”  
“Please, Scott,” Hillary begged. “If you care about your daughter at all, don’t do it.”  
“Of course I care about our daughter,” Scott replied. “And I still care deeply for you. You just don’t care back.” There was an icy venom to his tone.  
“I do care about you, Scott,” Hillary insisted. “And I want us to get along for Cassandra’s sake. I just can’t be in a relationship with you anymore. You're not the marrying type, Scott, and that’s okay.”  
“Hillary, I am!” Scott insisted. “I love you! I can change if you need me to. _Please_ give me one more chance.”  
“Scott, please listen to me. I care about you deeply and if you need _anything_ to help you get clean I will be there for you. I can’t _be_ with you though. You’re going to find someone who is _so_ much better suited for you. Okay?”  
“I want to be a part of Cassandra’s life, Hillary,” Scott said with a sad and frustrated sigh. “I don’t just want to be _some_ random guy who shows up every once in a while. And I don’t want Bill to be the father figure in her life. I want to be a damn good dad.”  
“I want you to be her father, too, Scott,” Hillary quietly said.  
“Then don’t leave me and only let me see her twice a month!” Scott argued.  
“We’ll just have to work out some kind of arrangement that works for the both of us,” Hillary gently explained. “But I _am_ going to be with Bill.”  
Scott sighed harshly.  
“I want us to be friends though,” Hillary tried. “For Cassandra’s sake.”  
Scott laughed bitterly.  
“I’m sorry, Scott,” Hillary said upon hearing his bitter laugh. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”  
“That you’ll give me another chance,” Scott started. “That you won’t just throw away our marriage. That you love me as much as I love you.”  
“Scott, you were the one who threw away our marriage,” Hillary retorted.  
“And now I’m trying to get it back,” Scott pleaded.  
“It’s too late,” Hillary insisted.  
“Yeah, because of Bill fucking Clinton!” Scott yelled into the phone.  
“I love him,” Hillary admitted softly, not knowing what else to say.  
“I don’t see why,” Scott said in a disgusted tone of voice.  
“You don’t have to understand, Scott. It’s _my_ life,” Hillary argued.  
“But you’re _my_ wife, damn it!”  
“Not for much longer,” Hillary softly said, as she looked down at her fingernails.  
“Have you slept with him?” Scott angrily asked.  
“No,” Hillary immediately answered before she changed course. “Well...we haven’t had sex yet but we have slept in the same bed.”  
“Hillary, please. I’m begging you. Stay away from him.”  
“Scott.” Hillary harshly sighed. “Scott, he’s my soulmate.”  
“You're just doing this because you’re mad at me,” Scott accused. “I’m _so_ sorry for everything I did, Hillary.”  
“That’s not why I’m with Bill,” Hillary tried patiently explaining. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Scott, but I’m _always_ going to want to be with him.”  
Scott scoffed in disgust while Hillary stayed silent.  
“I’ll talk to you later, I guess,” she awkwardly said a few moments later.  
“Hillary, don’t hang up!” Scott begged.  
“I don’t have much else to say,” Hillary quietly said. “The cars and the house are yours. You can have everything. I don’t want any of it.”  
“Hillary, stop this!” Scott tried.  
“Stop what, Scott?” Hillary asked with a frustrated sigh.  
“Stop talking like this,” Scott retorted. “We can’t possibly be over.”  
“We are,” Hillary simply said. “I’m meeting with a lawyer to have a separation agreement drawn up when I’m back in Connecticut.”  
“Don’t bother, Hillary. This can be the last time you ever talk to me,” Scott said shortly before he abruptly hung up.  
Hillary teared up again and threw her Blackberry on the bed beside her. She quickly stood up and stormed into the bathroom where Jessica was drying Sophia off and getting her changed into her pajamas.  
“I need to go back home,” Hillary said to her daughter, on the verge of tears. “I really think he’s going to kill himself, Jess.”  
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Oh, no he’s not. He’s way too obsessed with himself, Mom.”  
“Is Bill still at the pool with your sisters?” Hillary frantically asked, ignoring Jessica’s nonchalance.  
Jessica nodded. “I think so.”  
“Well, go get them,” Hillary insisted. “I have to get on a last minute flight.”  
“Mom, stop it,” Jessica gently said as she stared softly at her mother.  
“Just go get your dad and your sisters, Jess!” Hillary said frantically. “I need them to come with me!”  
“Mom, you can’t let him guilt you into going back to him,” Jessica gently said.  
“I’m not going back to him,” Hillary assured her daughter. “But I can’t just let him die either!”  
She could feel the panic rising in her chest.  
“Okay, okay. I’ll grab my laptop and book you a plane ticket,” Jessica offered, hoping it would calm her mother down.  
Just then they heard the ‘beep’ of Bill’s keycard in the door and he entered the room with Hayley and Chelsea in tow.  
“Bill!” Hillary sighed, relieved to see him.  
“Hillary? What’s going on?” Bill asked, seeing the look of panic that was written across his ex-wife’s face.  
“I have to go home,” Hillary explained as she teared up. “Will you please come with me?”  
“Of course.” Bill nodded supportively and frowned. “What’s going on though?”  
“I think Scott really is going to kill himself this time,” Hillary choked out.  
Bill pulled Hillary into his arms and gently stroked her back. “Okay, shhh. It’s okay, baby. Do you want to call the rehab center and check on him?”  
Hillary nodded and sniffled. “Yes.”  
“Okay.” Bill nodded supportively. He squeezed her one last time and let her go make her phone call.  
“I’ll call the airline and see if we can get you guys on a standby flight or something,” Jessica offered, seeing how emotionally distraught her mother was. She passed a sleepy Sophia over to Chelsea.  
Bill nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Jessie.”  
“I’m going to stay here for a few more days though,” Jessica admitted. “I just got here and I still want to visit my friend from college.”  
“That’s fine, Jessie,” Hillary quietly said with a nod knowing her oldest daughter was an adult who could make her own decisions and choices after all. “Just try to get the rest of us on the earliest flight possible.”  
“Of course.” Jessica nodded and found her cell phone in her purse.  
“Pack your suitcases, girls,” Bill instructed Hayley and Chelsea with a sad and frustrated sigh. “I guess we’re going back to Connecticut early.”  
  


To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work was crazy this week and I'm exhausted. I'm so glad I was able to finish writing this chapter Thursday night. Writing this update was my stress relief this week lol. I'm gonna leave things here and head to bed early but as always, thank you SO much for reading and commenting. It is much appreciated! And I've said it before but I mean it this time, Scott is ALMOST out of the picture. I promise! Hehe.
> 
> Hope everybody has a good rest of their night/day and a nice weekend! :) Until the next update!


	34. Surrender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for suicidal thoughts/ideation.

After managing to get seats on the Red Eye back to Connecticut, an exhausted Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, and Hayley exited their taxi cab and slowly trudged their way inside Hillary’s house. After leaving their luggage by the front door to deal with in the morning, Chelsea immediately took Hayley upstairs so that the both of them could go to bed.  
“Should we head on up to bed, too, Hillary?” Bill asked with a yawn. “It’s really late.”  
“I need to go to the rehab center,” Hillary responded with a panicked look on her face as she sat Cassandra’s car seat down.  
“You’re going to drive to Long Island now? At this hour?” Bill asked, a shocked expression on his face. “Hill, it’s really late," he repeated.   
“Bill, you don’t understand,” Hillary said with a tense expression on her face. “I need to make sure he isn’t going to do anything stupid.”  
Bill harshly sighed. He knew Hillary had been worried the whole flight home but he didn’t want her taking a long road trip by herself in the middle of the night.  
“I have to make sure he’s okay,” Hillary choked out, as she teared up.  
“Okay, okay,” Bill reluctantly gave in, hating to see his Hillary so upset even if it was over another man. “But maybe we should call them first and see if they’d even let you in at this hour?” Bill gently suggested, hoping it would deter her from driving all the way there in the middle of the night.  
“Fine.” Hillary gave in with a sigh and started digging through her purse for her Blackberry.  
“Thank you,” Bill said with a relieved sigh. “I’m going to go put Hayley to bed.” He wanted to give Hillary some privacy to make her phone call.  
Hillary nodded and took a sleeping Cassandra into the living room with her. She dialed the rehab center’s front desk and nervously waited for someone to pick up. It took a few rings, probably because of the late hour but eventually she heard a: “Hello, Lakeview Treatment Center.”  
Hillary nervously cleared her throat. “Hi, this is Hillary Graham. I’m calling to check up on a patient of yours, Scott Graham. I’m his wife.”  
“Oh, hi Mrs. Graham,” the pleasant sounding nurse on duty replied. “He actually checked out about an hour ago.”  
“ _What_!?” Hillary loudly exclaimed. She knew it was a possibility and it had been a fear of hers the whole way back to Connecticut but she still hadn’t expected that her current husband would actually check out of rehab again before his twenty-eight days were up. Despite his emotional manipulations, she had thought he had been taking treatment seriously for his daughter's sake. “Well, why didn’t you stop him?” She angrily accused.  
“That’s not my job, Mrs. Graham.” The nurse’s former pleasant demeanor had suddenly turned short and snippy. “If a patients wants to leave treatment early, they have that right. This isn’t a prison. We can’t keep someone here who doesn’t want to be here. An addict has to _want_ to get better before they can actually get better.”  
Hillary sighed harshly. She knew the nurse was right but she was still pissed off at Scott beyond belief. “Well, do you know where he was planning on going?”  
“No idea,” the nurse said nonchalantly. “We sent him off in a cab. I assume he’s on his way home right now.”  
“Oh my God,” Hillary put her free hand in her hands and teared up. “Well, thank you for letting me know,” she politely said before she hung up and started silently weeping. Her mind was spinning and going one hundred miles a minute as she tried to formulate a plan to get herself and her children somewhere safe just in case Scott showed up.  
“What’s going on?” Bill asked as he came down the grand staircase and saw Hillary quietly crying to herself in the living room.  
“He checked out!” Hillary frantically cried out. “We need to get the girls to the townhouse. It’ll be safer.”  
She had a horrible feeling that Scott was heading home and that something awful was about to go down.  
Bill nodded in agreement just as Hillary’s cell phone started ringing. Seeing Scott’s name flash across the call display, Hillary quickly answered it.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey,” Scott gruffly said. Hillary could hear the sounds of whizzing traffic behind him.  
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Hillary replied with a strained voice, glad that he was still alive at least.  
“Not for long,” Scott threatened in a slurred voice.  
“Don’t do anything stupid, Scott,” Hillary warned in a firm tone.  
“I’ll do whatever I want,” Scott retorted, sounding drunk and high off his ass. “You’re not my mother, _Hillary_.”  
“Scott, please,” Hillary begged frantically. “Cassandra needs you!”  
“She has Bill,” Scott sarcastically retorted.  
“Stop it, Scott! You’re her father,” Hillary desperately tried.  
“Hillary, please,” Scott said, his voice cracking with emotion. “You don’t understand how much pain I’m in.”  
“Well, think of the pain your daughter will be in the for the rest of her life if you kill yourself!” Hillary pleaded as she teared up again and started sobbing. “Scott, please!”  
“She’ll have Bill. She’ll be fine,” Scott repeated, sounding at peace with his decision. “I’ll do it now so she won’t even remember me.”  
“Scott, please don’t,” Hillary begged. “Come home. I’m at the house.” Maybe she could talk him out of it, she thought.  
“Wait, you’re at home?” Scott asked in a confused tone.  
“We flew home early,” Hillary answered. “Cassandra’s here.”  
“I’m five minutes away,” Scott said.  
“Please...whatever you do, just don't hurt yourself,” Hillary begged, knowing that the next five minutes were going to feel like an eternity.  
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I’m doing this, Hillary,” Scott cried out, his voice thick with emotion.  
“Scott! Please just come home!” Hillary begged as she realized there was no time to get herself and her children to Jessica’s townhouse. Her main focus right now was talking Scott down.  
“So you want to watch?” Scott sinisterly threatened with an evil laugh.  
Hillary felt a chill run up her spine. “No, I want to see you!” She argued. “I want you to see your daughter! Please, Scott, I’m begging you. Don’t do this.”  
“You don’t want to see me,” Scott replied shortly.  
“I do!” Hillary tried, hoping she could talk Scott out of whatever he was planning to do that night. “Don’t you want to see Cassandra?”  
“Of course I want to see her every day of her life, Hillary,” Scott answered, the sincerity evident in his voice. “I don’t want to lose my daughter.”  
“Then you won’t,” Hillary quietly said, her tone softening. “Just please don’t hurt yourself. Okay? Come home and we can work something out I’m sure.”  
“Fine,” Scott suddenly said.  
“ _Thank you_ ,” Hillary gratefully said as she let out a small sigh of relief.  
“See you in five minutes,” Scott said before he abruptly hung up.  
“He’s coming here,” Hillary nervously said to Bill as she looked over at him. “Get the kids out of here. Now.”

* * * * * *

As much as Bill hated to leave Hillary alone in a potentially dangerous situation, he knew that it was vital to get Chelsea, Cassandra and Hayley to a safe place. He had woken them up and taken them to his and Jessica’s house with the promise to Hillary that he would be back at Hillary’s as soon as the kids were settled. 

“Hillary!”  
Hillary sat up straighter on the couch as she heard Scott enter the house.  
“I’m in the living room,” Hillary called out.  
Scott stared intently at his soon to be ex-wife as he entered the room.  
“Hi, Scott,” Hillary nervously said, not being able to make eye contact with him.  
“ _Please_ don’t leave me,” Scott begged her with pleading eyes.  
Hillary harshly sighed as Scott took a seat in an arm chair across from her. “I’m just trying to be honest with you, Scott. It wouldn’t be fair to you for me to stay in a relationship that I’m not happy in.”  
“So its fair to just up and leave me and let me see my daughter twice a month?” Scott asked in an incredulous tone.  
“This is better for the both of us,” Hillary tried to calmly explain.  
“No, it’s fucking not!” Scott angrily exclaimed, in a slurred voice. “I love you _so much_ , Hillary! This isn’t fair!”  
“Yeah, well, life isn't fair,” Hillary retorted with a harsh sigh.  
Scott just angrily shook his head at that and stormed upstairs as Hillary ran after him.  
“You need to leave,” Scott angrily said, turning around at the top of the stairs.  
“That’s not going to happen,” Hillary retorted, too scared of what he might do if he were left alone in the house.  
Scott rolled his eyes and stormed into the master bedroom, slamming the door behind him.  
  


When Hillary ran after him, she found him in the en suite bathroom, rifling through the medicine cabinet above the sink, presumably looking for prescription medication.  
“Please don’t do it, Scott,” Hillary begged, her voice cracking, as she realized what he was doing.  
“Then don’t leave me,” Scott begged in return, his own voice thick with emotion.  
“Put the pills down, Scott,” Hillary firmly said, noticing he had a bottle of prescription pills of some kind in his right hand.  
“I’m not fucking watching you live some perfect life with Bill fucking Clinton!” Scott angrily exclaimed.  
“Please, Scott. You aren’t thinking clearly,” Hillary tried. “Put the pills down.”  
Scott shook his head. “I’m gonna do it, Hillary. Tonight.”  
“No, please. Please don’t,” Hillary begged in a shaky voice. She hated how unsure of herself she sounded and felt in that moment. “Please don’t, Scott,” she repeated as she took a few steps closer to him. “You have so many people who care about you, Scott. What about your siblings?” Hillary knew that both of Scott’s parents had already passed away several years prior but that he had close relationships with his two sisters and his brother.  
“They don’t care about me,” Scott insisted, shaking his head.  
“Yes, they do! They love you!” Hillary argued. "You're their brother!"   
“And I don’t give a _fuck_!” Scott loudly yelled in return. His face crumpled as he gave Hillary an anguished look. “Don’t fucking leave me, Hillary! Please.”  
“Scott, put the pills down,” Hillary begged in a strained voice, as she teared up.  
Scott shook his head. “I’m going to fucking do it, Hillary.”  
“Scott, you’re not thinking clearly!” Hillary exclaimed. “You’re drunk off your ass right now and probably high, let’s be real. Sober up and you’ll feel differently in the morning, I promise.”  
“No, Hillary,” Scott seethed through gritted teeth, staring at her sinisterly. “I refuse to watch you live a life with fucking Bill Clinton! So either _I_ have to die or _he_ does!”  
Hillary felt another chill run up her spine, hearing Scott threaten Bill for the first time. “I’m sorry I hurt you like this,” Hillary sincerely apologized. “I _really_ am. Don’t take it out on everyone else though,” she tried, desperate to keep Bill safe.  
“This is _his_ fault!” Scott argued with a crazed look in his bright blue eyes.  
“Just put the pills down, Scott,” Hillary tried, in a desperate tone. “Please don’t do anything to hurt yourself.”  
“Who the _fuck_ is that?” Scott yelled as they heard Bill enter the house a moment later.  
“It’s just Bill,” Hillary said with a sigh as she realized Bill’s arrival would set Scott off even more. “Calm down, Scott.”  
“Where’s Cassandra?” Scott suddenly loudly demanded in an angry tone.  
“She’s safe. Don’t worry about her,” Hillary assured him, knowing that her two youngest daughters were safe and being well taken care of by Chelsea over at Jessica and Bill’s townhouse. “I bet she would love to see you in the morning,” Hillary tried, staring at Scott softly, hoping the thought of Cassandra would make him come around.  
“Just tell her that I loved her.” Scott’s voice cracked as he teared up.  
“Scott…” Hillary trailed off as she heard the bathroom door open behind her and Bill entered the room.  
Scott’s eyes widened in anger and frustration. “What the _fuck_ , Hillary?”  
“Scott, don’t,” Hillary warned firmly.  
“No.” Scott angrily shook his head. “Fuck this.” He glared at Bill. “You’re not raising my daughter, you asshole. And you’re _not_ stealing _my_ wife from me!”  
“Scott, please!” Hillary begged as tears freely rolled down her cheeks.  
“Say you’ll stay with me!” Scott demanded as he raised his right fist into the air and looked like he was about to punch Bill.  
“You need to leave, Scott,” Hillary choked out as she jumped in between Scott and Bill, trying to protect Bill.  
“I’m telling you, Hillary,” Scott angrily seethed. “It’s me or him. One of us isn’t leaving this house alive tonight.”  
“No one needs to get hurt, Scott!” Hillary yelled, giving her soon to be ex-husband a pointed yet worried look. She stared nervously over at Bill out of the corner of her eye.  
“Does he really mean that much to you, Hillary?” Scott asked with a look of disbelief on his face.  
“Yes,” Hillary answered in a quiet voice as she nodded slowly.  
“Well, I guess Cassandra doesn’t need me then,” Scott said in a bitter tone. “You don’t even need to tell her about me.”  
“Scott, no! Please no!” Hillary begged as she suddenly burst into tears.  
“Everyone will be fine without me, Hillary. You know that,” Scott insisted. “Take my money and my cars and the house. You can have it all and start your new life with Bill,” he added as he angrily rolled his eyes.  
“No, Scott!” Hillary firmly said as she managed to pull herself together again. “You are going to be there for your daughter!”  
“Stop fucking with me, Hillary,” Scott warned as he glared at her.  
“No, you don’t fuck with _me!_ ” Hillary angrily retorted as she felt anger and adrenaline course through her body. “And don’t fuck with our daughter’s life! Pull yourself together, God dammit!”  
“She doesn’t even have to know me!” Scott argued back. “It’ll be better this way, Hill. I promise. You and Bill can raise her and be the perfect little family that I wanted to have with the two of you!”   
“You can still be a good father to her, Scott,” Hillary pleaded.  
“No.” Scott shook his head. “I don’t want her growing up like this. I don’t want to only see her for two days at a time twice a month. Not gonna happen.”  
“Well, then we’ll figure out some kind of arrangement!” Hillary desperately tried.  
“Don’t bother.” Scott dismissively shook his head again. “She’s supposed to have a perfect childhood. That won’t happen if her parents aren’t together.”  
“Yes it will, Scott!” Hillary argued. “Plenty of kids still have wonderful childhoods even when their parents aren’t together.”  
“Well, I don’t want that for _my_ daughter,” Scott dismissively said with a shrug.   
“Scott, she needs you in her life,” Hillary insisted. Maybe not _this_ version of him, but if he could clean his act up, Hillary desperately wanted her daughter’s biological father to be a part of her life as she grew up.  
“I’m too much of a fuck up, Hillary.” Scott sadly shook his head. “I’d be just as shitty a dad as I was a husband.”  
“That’s not true, Scott,” Hillary quietly said as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She wanted nothing more than to reach over and grab Bill’s hand for moral support but she was scared to set Scott off even further.  
“I love you _so_ much, Hillary!” Scott begged, his blue eyes crinkling with emotion.  
“Than love me enough not to kill yourself,” Hillary quietly said as she nervously swallowed.  
“Why should I? What would I get in return? One lousy weekend with my kid once a month?” Scott sarcastically retorted. “Yeah, no thanks.”  
“I told you, Scott. You can see her whenever you want,” Hillary promised.  
“Then I would just be around all the time.” Scott shrugged. “And I know you don’t want that.” He rolled his eyes again and glared at Bill out of the corner of his eye. “Plus, I can’t stand to be around _this_ loser. And you know what else? I can’t stand the thought of being alone while he’s out in the world somewhere, raising _my_ daughter.”  
“But _you_ are her father, Scott!” Hillary insisted. “Not Bill.”  
“She won’t even know me,” Scott continued as if he hadn’t even heard Hillary.  
“Of course she will, Scott,” Hillary insisted with a frustrated sigh. She angrily shook her head. “You’re being irrational.”  
“No, I don’t think I am.” Scott shook his head as he slipped the bottle of sleeping pills that he had swiped from the medicine cabinet, into the pocket of his pants.  
“You need to pull yourself together, Scott,” Bill piped in, more worried for Hillary’s safety and security than anything else. “Hillary’s right. You need to be there for your daughter.”  
“Then stop trying to steal my wife and kid, you jackass!” Scott yelled at Bill as he angrily clenched his fists, readying himself for a fight.  
“Cassandra is your daughter. You need to be there for her.” Bill remained calm, hoping that he could somehow get through to Scott without things turning violent.  
“Just shut up!” Scott screamed in return.  
“No, you have a responsibility to your child,” Bill argued. “You wanted a baby so now you need to man up and take responsibility for her.”  
“Yeah, I wanted a wife and a baby and family vacations. The whole shebang,” Scott retorted with a sad sigh. “Not seeing my daughter twice a month, if that!”  
“You can still be a good father, Scott,” Bill tried. “Believe me, it is the most wonderful experience. You don’t want to miss out.”  
“But I want Hillary, too,” Scott quietly said as he stared intently at his wife.  
“Well, that’s Hillary’s choice,” Bill retorted, also staring over at Hillary to make sure she was okay. “But you get to decide whether or not that beautiful baby girl gets to grow up with a daddy.”  
“I’m not letting _you_ raise her,” Scott warned. His eyes were full of anger and his nostrils flared as he glared at Bill again. “I don’t want you around her.”  
“Scott, you're being unreasonable,” Hillary piped in with a frustrated sigh.  
Scott shook his head and took the pill bottle out of his pocket. “That’s it. I’m doing it.”  
“Scott, no!” Hillary begged as Bill took his cell phone out of his pocket in order to call the police.  
Scott saw this and forgot about the pills. Instead he walked over and knocked Bill’s phone out of his hands. There was a clattering sound as Bill's phone hit the ceramic tiles of the bathroom floor.  
“Calm down, you guys!” Hillary yelled, not wanting the two men to start fighting.  
“It’s me or him, Hillary. Choose,” Scott warned through gritted teeth as anger flashed across his face.  
Hillary jumped in front of Bill again to protect him. Just when she thought Scott was going to punch either her or Bill, Scott suddenly shook his head and retreated. He dropped the bottle of sleeping pills back into his pocket and angrily shook his head again.  
“You know what. Fuck this. Fuck you!” He screamed at Bill. “And especially, _fuck you_!” He yelled at Hillary before he stormed out of the bathroom.  
Bill and Hillary listened as they heard his loud footsteps stomp down the upstairs hallway and down the grand staircase. Bill pulled back the curtains of the bathroom window and watched as Scott’s Mercedes drove (or more like swerved) out of the roundabout driveway and down the street, disappearing into the night. The two of them caught their breaths and stared silently at one another for several moments.  
“Are you okay, Hillary?” Bill finally asked, a moment later.  
Hillary nodded. “I think so,” she answered breathlessly, as adrenaline still coursed through her body.   
Wordlessly, Bill wrapped her up in his arms and squeezed her tightly and reassuringly.  
“Thank you,” Hillary murmured into the crook of Bill’s shoulder, feeling safe and secure in Bill’s arms as Bill gently rubbed soothing circles into her back.  
“Everything’s going to be okay, Hillary. I love you.”

* * * * * *

They called the police to explain what happened but seeing as Scott had left, there was nothing for the police to do unless Scott returned later. Before they left Hillary’s property, the two male officers had given Bill and Hillary their contact information and Hillary promised to call them if Scott showed up again later that night. The officers had also suggested that Hillary go somewhere safe for the night if possible. After they had wrapped things up with the police, Bill had driven Hillary to his and Jessica’s townhouse. Even though Scott knew where it was and had shown up there in the past when Hillary had tried to escape him, Hillary and Bill both felt safer there than they did at Hillary and Scott’s house. Plus, they felt that their daughters would be safer too with Bill and Hillary there just in case Scott did show up at the townhouse unexpectedly.

  
They were both still on high alert and worried about the possibility of Scott finding Hillary and Cassandra at the townhouse, but, seeing as it was the middle of the night, Bill and Hillary were both mentally and physically exhausted after their ordeal with Scott. After checking on their sleeping children, Bill had finally convinced an anxious and upset Hillary to take a sleeping pill and go to bed, hoping that she would feel better after at least a couple of hours of sleep. Bill and Hillary were finally sound asleep cuddled up together in Bill’s bed when they were suddenly woken up by the shrill ringing of Hillary's cell phone in the wee hours of the morning.   
Hillary sleepily groped around on the nightstand until she found her phone and her glasses. She put her glasses on and quickly grabbed her phone before the loud ringing could wake up a still sleeping Cassandra.  
“Hmmm, what is it?” Bill sleepily mumbled with his eyes still closed as he started slowly waking up. “What’s going on, Hill?”  
“Hello?” Hillary groggily answered her phone. She was still half-asleep, both from the sleeping pill she had taken earlier that night and the exhaustion of the previous day.  
“Mrs. Graham, this is Officer Martinez with the New Haven Police Department. We spoke earlier tonight. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this but there’s been an accident.”

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil smirk* See, I told you all to trust me haha. And that's all I'm going to say for now but I think you'll all like what's in store for the next chapter ;) ;) 
> 
> It will definitely feel good to actually put the next part of the story down on paper and out into the world after its lived in my head for so long. 
> 
> Thank you as always for your comments and kudos. Hope you enjoyed the update (even though it was Scott heavy, I'm sorry haha) and until the next one! Have a great weekend and upcoming week everyone! :)


	35. In The Blink Of An Eye

Hillary couldn’t believe that she was currently sitting in the surgical waiting room of Yale New Haven Hospital, waiting for an update on her husband’s condition. She felt like she was having an out of body experience, like she was watching and experiencing someone else's life. This couldn't possibly be happening. Truth be told, she felt...numb.    
According to the police, Scott’s car had collided with another driver's vehicle, swerved off the road and rolled over twice before finally crashing into a tree. The Emergency Room doctor who had treated him upon arrival had informed Hillary that his tox screen had been positive for alcohol, cocaine, and prescription sleeping pills. Whether it had been a true, tragic accident or a suicide attempt, Hillary didn’t know but she supposed it didn’t matter at this point. She was relieved that due to the late hour the accident had occurred, there weren’t many other cars on the road and that the driver of the other vehicle involved had only sustained minor injuries. Scott on the other hand, apparently hadn’t fared so well.    
She anxiously bounced her knee and tapped her foot up and down. The waiting was driving her crazy. She had always hated waiting.    
She was suddenly drawn out of her thoughts when she saw Bill stepping off the elevator and walking towards her, with Cassandra’s car seat in one hand and a styrofoam tray containing two hot coffees in the other.    
“What are you doing here?” Hillary asked, surprised to see him. “I thought you were going to stay home with the kids?”    
“Chelsea agreed to stay with Hayley,” Bill explained. He passed her the coffee he had bought for her before he put Cassandra’s car seat down at Hillary’s feet and took a seat next to his ex-wife on the worn out faux leather sofa that she was sitting on. He reached over and gently took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I couldn’t stand the thought of you being here alone.”    
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary gratefully said, nearly tearing up at Bill’s kindness and how gracious he was. Most ex-husband’s wouldn’t show up to support their ex-wife while her current husband was currently undergoing emergency surgery.    
“I am so sorry, Hillary,” Bill quietly said, staring tenderly at her as he noticed how anxious and worried she looked. Why he was apologizing, he wasn’t sure but he knew that whatever the outcome of Scott’s surgery may be, that all the parties involved would have a long road ahead of them.   
“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do,” Hillary choked out, as she teared up. “I can’t believe he did this.” She took a sip of her coffee and let the warm liquid run down her throat and into her stomach. “This is all my fault, Bill. I hate myself.” She literally felt sick to her stomach from the guilt.    
“Shhh, it’s not your fault at all, sweetie,” Bill gently said as he let go of Hillary’s hand and gently rubbed her back instead. “You did everything you could. It's not like you forced him to drive while under the influence.”    
He was hoping that his words would bring some form of comfort to his ex-wife but Hillary started uncharacteristically sobbing hysterically instead.    
Bill put his coffee cup down and wrapped Hillary up into his arms.    
“Hey, it’s okay,” he gently whispered in her ear. “It’s going to be okay.” He didn’t want to make empty promises but he also hated seeing his girl so upset. He gently stroked her hair and soothingly rubbed her back until Hillary’s sobs calmed down.    
“I don’t know what to do,” Hillary whispered again when Bill pulled away from the embrace.   
“All we can do right now is sit here and hope for the best,” Bill honestly answered as he reached over and grabbed Hillary’s hand again. “You’re not alone in this though. Okay, Hillary?”    
“Actually I am,” Hillary flatly responded, as she stared straight ahead.    
“Hey, I’m here for you,” Bill softly said, as he squeezed her hand.    
“Okay,” Hillary managed to say as she gently nodded. She stared down at Cassandra, not knowing what else there was to say. Wordlessly, she scooped her daughter up and held the baby close to her chest.    
“Um, I’ll give you two a moment,” Bill offered, feeling overwhelmed with emotion as he realized that that baby in Hillary’s arms might not have her biological father around anymore, depending on the outcome of Scott's surgery. Memories of never having known his own biological father after the man had died under similar circumstances flooded over him.    
Hillary just nodded and stared down at Cassandra, as the exact same thoughts ran through her own mind.    
  


* * * * * *

After he had gone to the men’s room and pulled himself together emotionally, he saw Hillary getting a sleeping Cassandra settled in her car seat when he returned to the waiting room several minutes later.    
“Any updates?” He asked Hillary as he sat back down beside her.    
Hillary shook her head as she took a sip of her coffee.    
Just then, a male doctor in dark blue scrubs approached the two of them.    
“Mrs. Graham?”    
“Yes.” Hillary stood up and nervously swallowed. “That’s me.”   
“I’m Dr. Gallagher. I’m the trauma surgeon on-call tonight who operated on your husband. Could we go talk in private?”    
“He can stay,” Hillary said, as she looked over at Bill. She wanted Bill by her side when she got the news of Scott’s condition, whatever it may be. “He’s my friend.”   
Bill got up from the sofa and stood beside Hillary. “How did everything go?” He curiously asked the surgeon.    
“Well,” the doctor took a deep breath. “Your husband was brought in with very severe internal injuries and internal bleeding. We did everything we could and used all of our capabilities, but unfortunately, his heart stopped several times in surgery and we couldn’t bring him back. I am so very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Graham.”   
“Oh…” Hillary felt numb and at first she simply nodded as the news sunk in. “Oh, okay. Thank you, doctor.”    
“I’ll give you a moment,” the doctor said. He had delivered this speech more times than he could count so he knew the grief was coming. “Um, would you like to see him for a few minutes to say your goodbyes before we take him to the morgue?”    
Hillary numbly nodded, still not quite believing that this was actually real. Her husband was...dead. She had _just_ been talking (or more like fighting) with him just hours before.    
“I’ll have a nurse take you to him in a few minutes,” the doctor kindly said before he turned and walked away.    
“Oh my God,” Hillary murmured, the news still sinking in. “Oh my God.”    
Bill quickly took Hillary into his arms and tightly squeezed her, wanting to be there for her. He knew she would need his support now more than ever, especially with a newborn, who had just lost her father, to raise.    
Hillary buried her head in the crook of Bill’s shoulder as the tears finally came.    
“I don’t know what to do,” She sobbed into Bill’s shoulder.    
“I am so sorry, Hillary,” Bill whispered, feeling quite shocked by this news himself. He gently and reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s back, not knowing what else he could do in that moment.    
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Hillary quietly sobbed as she closed her eyes.    
Bill continued soothingly rubbing her back as he felt his shirt getting soaked with Hillary’s tears.    
“And now Cassandra is never going to know him!” Hillary realized as she started sobbing harder.    
Bill sadly sighed and almost felt like crying himself as his heart broke for his ex-wife and her (their?) daughter. Hillary's tiny body was shaking with intense sobs in his arms. He squeezed her tighter. “I’m so so sorry, Hillary,” he repeated.    
This is all my fault!” Hillary cried out. “I should have just sucked it up and stayed with him!”    
Bill frowned and tried not to take Hillary’s words to heart, knowing that it was just her immediate grief and shock talking.    
“He’s dead because of me!” Hillary sobbed out.    
“That is not true,” Bill firmly said. He didn’t want Hillary blaming herself for Scott’s death.    
“Yes it is!” Hillary screamed. “Shut up!”    
“Okay, shhhhhhh,” Bill soothed, not letting her words get to him. He continued holding her tightly and rubbing her back, knowing that that was what she needed in that moment.    
“What do I  _ do _ ?” Hillary sobbed out again as a river of wet hot tears quickly streamed down her face.    
“You’ll just take it one day at a time,” Bill gently whispered. “Okay? You are the strongest person I know. You can get through this.”   
“I can’t!” Hillary cried. She vigorously shook her head. “Oh God, this is all my fault. Why did this have to happen?”    
“Hillary, he had a disease,” Bill pointed out. He let go of her and cupped her cheeks with his hands instead. Gazing directly into her eyes, he said, “This is  _ not _ your fault, Hillary. Not in the slightest. Okay?”   
“It is my fault!” Hillary insisted as her face twisted with emotion.    
“Okay, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Bill soothed in a hushed tone with a sad sigh just as a nurse came over to take Hillary to say her final goodbyes.    
“Do you want me to go with you?” Bill awkwardly offered.    
Hillary shook her head and sadly sighed as she managed to compose herself. “I think I have to do this by myself for my own sake. But thank you,” she said, the gratitude evident in her eyes.    
Bill nodded understandingly as he watched Hillary scoop Cassandra up.    
“Can you call Jess though?” Hillary asked him. They would tell Chelsea in person and try to find the words to explain what had happened to Hayley in terms that a three year old would understand but they had to tell Jessica first so that she could get a flight home as soon as possible.    
“Of course,” Bill nodded, wanting to help in any way he could.    
Hillary nodded before she disappeared down the hallway and around a corner in the direction of the Operating Rooms with the nurse.    
  


Bill took a deep breath to steady himself before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jessica’s number.    
“Hello?” Jessica groggily answered a few moments later. Clearly he had woken her up out of a deep slumber but it  _ was _ the middle of the night. “Bill?”    
“Hey, sweetie,” Bill quietly said. “How is everything?”    
“What’s going on, Bill?” Jessica asked, her voice still thick with sleep. “It’s the middle of the night. Is everything okay? Wait, is Mom okay?” Bill heard her voice go an octave higher with worry at the last sentence.    
“Um, your mom’s fine,” Bill started. Physically she was anyways. Mentally and emotionally, Bill wasn’t so sure. “But I do have some bad news.”    
“Yeah? What is it?” Jessica quietly asked, the curiosity evident in her voice. She knew it had to be pretty serious for her stepfather to be calling her about it at three in the morning.    
“Well…” Bill hesitated as he struggled to find the right words. He decided to just come out and say it. “Scott passed away, sweetheart. He was in a car accident.” He decided to spare her all the details for now. He could fill her in later.    
Jessica loudly gasped, not quite believing the news. “Oh my God. Wait, are you serious?”    
“I’m afraid so,” Bill quietly said, as he massaged his temples with his free hand.   
"What the hell happened?" Jessica asked. The shock was evident in her voice.   
"Um, we'll talk later," Bill softly replied. "It's better to explain in person."   
“Well...how’s Mom holding up?” The utter disbelief mixed with worry and concern for her mother, was obvious in Jessica's voice.    
“You know what your mom is like, honey. She’s hanging in there,” Bill answered. He didn’t want to worry his oldest daughter.    
“Okay well….” Jessica paused to let out a shaky sigh. “Sophie and I will be on the next flight home.” He could hear his stepdaughter getting out of bed, and then he heard shuffling, as if Jessica was looking for her laptop.    
“Okay, honey,” Bill quietly replied, nodding to himself. “Sounds good. Your mom and I will give you some money for the plane ticket after.”    
“Don’t even worry about that right now,” Jessica quietly assured her stepfather, her finances and financial situation being the farthest thought in her mind in that exact moment. She just wanted to get home to her mother and the rest of her family. She harshly sighed. “I’m so sorry, Bill.”   
“Yeah, me, too,” Bill softly said.    
Jessica sighed again, a softer sigh this time. “So I guess I’ll see you guys some time later today. Tell Mom I love her.”    
“I will,” Bill assured his stepdaughter in a hushed tone.    
“And _please_ take care of her,” Jessica quietly said but as the words came out of her mouth, she knew that they were words that didn’t need to be spoken. Bill would automatically do just that.    
“I will. Of course I will,” Bill softly insisted.    
“Okay.” Bill could almost hear Jessica nodding on the other end. “I love you, Bill.”    
“I love you, sweetheart,” Bill quietly replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”   
They said their final goodbyes to each other just as Hillary came back to the waiting room.    
Bill hung up and stared at Hillary. “How did that go, honey?”    
Hillary shrugged, clearly not wanting to discuss it in that moment.    
Bill nodded understandingly, knowing that Hillary would open up to him when she was ready to.    
“Is Jessica okay?” Hillary asked with a sniffle.    
Bill nodded. “She’s just in shock.”  _ Like the rest of us _ Bill thought.    
Hillary nodded, knowing the feeling all too well. “What am I supposed to do now?” She asked Bill in a shaky voice as she got Cassandra settled in her car seat.    
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but let’s go home,” Bill tried. He knew there were still arrangements to be made but they could wait until the morning. He just wanted to get Hillary home to bed so that she could get some rest after what had been a long, draining and stressful day.    
“Where is home?” Hillary choked out as she teared up again. She wasn’t too keen on going back home to the house she had once shared with Scott. There were too many horrible memories associated with that house.    
“Let’s go back to my house,” Bill clarified, reaching for her hand.    
Hillary nodded as she picked up Cassandra’s car seat and grabbed Bill’s hand with her free one. “Take me home, Bill.” 

* * * * *

As Hillary followed Bill through the front door and entered her daughter’s townhouse, she still couldn’t believe that Scott was actually dead. She had seen his cold, lifeless body lying there with her own two eyes and she was still in absolute disbelief that he was actually gone and no longer a living, breathing, human being.   
As she followed Bill into the living room, she immediately curled up into a ball on the couch.   
“I have to call his siblings and a funeral home,” she mindlessly rambled, hoping that the thought of all of the arrangements that needed to be made would be a distraction but it didn’t work. For what felt like the millionth time that night, she started loudly sobbing yet again.   
Bill immediately transferred a sleeping Cassandra from her car seat to Sophia’s old bassinet and sat down next to Hillary on the couch. He quickly wrapped her up into his arms and let Hillary sob into his chest.   
“This is my fault. It’s all my fault!”   
Bill could almost feel his heart breaking into a million pieces as he heard Hillary’s muffled sobs.   
“Shh, Hillary. Shhh, no it isn’t,” he quietly soothed as he slowly and gently rubbed Hillary’s back.   
Hillary wasn’t even sure why she was crying. Was it grief? Relief? A mixture of both?   
“How could he do this?” She loudly cried. “I mean, we had a daughter.” She sadly shook her head and sniffled. “It _hurts_ , Bill. Oh God, it hurts _so_ bad.”   
“Shh, honey. I know,” Bill quietly soothed as he continued to soothingly rub Hillary’s back and biceps. He leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent as he did so.   
“Mom?” Chelsea sleepily wandered down the stairs in her pajamas and entered the living room. Trying to go back to sleep had proved to be futile once her parents had woken her up to tell her that Scott had been involved in a car accident. “What’s going on?” By the emotional state that she could tell her mother was in, she was sure it wasn't going to be good news.   
“Um, Scott didn’t make it,” Hillary quietly explained in a shaky voice as tears continued to silently stream down her cheeks.   
“Oh, God.” Even when you know bad news is coming, you’re still never quite prepared for it. Chelsea instantly rushed over to her mother’s side and sat down beside Hillary on the other side of her. “I’m _so_ sorry, Mom,” Chelsea quietly said as she cuddled into her mother’s side.   
“It’s okay, Chels,” Hillary said with a sad sigh, not wanting her daughter to see her in her current emotional state. “Just go back to bed and we can start making funeral arrangements in the morning.”   
Chelsea nodded, figuring it was better to give her mom some space for the rest of the night. She yawned before she pecked her mom’s cheek and got up off the couch. And she knew that her mom had her father's support so she wasn't worried. “I love you, Mom.”   
“I love you, too, sweetie,” Hillary quietly said, feeling grateful for her daughter’s love and support.   
“Goodnight, Daddy,” Chelsea said, giving her father a goodnight hug.   
“Night, Chels. Get some rest,” Bill said before Chelsea walked back upstairs and retreated to Jessica’s bedroom.   
“Why don’t you try and get some sleep, too?” Bill gently suggested to Hillary as he reassuringly rubbed her back. “I can stay up and make some of your phone calls for you if that’ll help.”  
Hillary shook her head. “I have to do it, Bill.”   
Bill nodded understandingly. It was worth a shot. Plus, he knew Hillary wasn’t just being stubborn, that there were some things that only she should rightfully do as Scott’s widow. “I understand, Hillary. But what do you need from me? I feel useless.” He sadly sighed, feeling guilty that he couldn’t do more for Hillary in her time of need.   
“I don’t even know,” Hillary admitted in a whisper as she nervously bit her lower lip.   
“Well, just know that I’m here for you, Hillary,” Bill quietly assured her, as he gently squeezed her shoulder. “No matter what. I'll be here for you. Whatever you need. And I’m so sorry that I couldn’t do more to stop this from happening.” He was sure that both himself and Hillary had a million ‘what-if’ scenarios running through their minds at that given moment.   
“Yeah,” Hillary paused and sadly sighed. “Me, too, Bill.” She looked down and frowned. "Me, too."  
“Come on, Hill. You need to sleep,” Bill urged. “It’s late.” He gently squeezed her hand. “You can take my bed,” he offered.   
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” Hillary admitted, as another sob escaped her lips.   
“Well, how about a nice, relaxing bath then?” Bill suggested, just wanting to help the love of his life in any way he could.   
“Yeah, okay.” Hillary nodded slightly and sniffled. “Yeah, that sounds good.”  
“Okay.” Bill nodded. “I’ll run it for you. Just give me a minute.”   
  


* * * * * *

He quickly went upstairs to the master bathroom and started running the bath water, trying his best to be quiet to not wake up a sleeping Chelsea and Hayley who were sound asleep in Jessica’s room. Luckily Jessica’s en suite bathroom had a relatively large, luxurious spa bathtub. After he threw in some lavender bubble bath that was sitting on the ledge of the bathtub, hoping that it would help to relax Hillary, he went back downstairs to go get her.    
  


“I’ll just be across the hall in my bedroom if you need anything,” he softly said to Hillary a few minutes later once she was undressed and climbing into the tub.    
“Stay,” Hillary quietly said as settled into the tub and let the hot water and lavender bubble bath relax her tense muscles.    
Bill nodded and took a seat on the bathroom floor next to the tub. “Okay.” When he noticed Hillary reaching for his hand, he quickly took hers in his and gently squeezed it.    
“I guess this isn’t an affair anymore,” Hillary quietly said. She looked down, as if she was almost embarrassed or ashamed, as that realization suddenly dawned on her.    
“Sweetheart, we don’t have to talk about that right now,” Bill softly said as he stared at Hillary tenderly, worried about her.    
Hillary just nodded as she sadly sighed, still in disbelief over the turn of events that the night had taken.    
“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do,” she rambled. “Everything is a mess.” She shook her head, trying to keep her fresh tears at bay.    
“Shh, it’s okay,” Bill soothed as he leaned over and gently pecked the top of her head.    
Hillary sighed again before they sat in silence (aside from the occasional sniffle or cry from Hillary), alone with their thoughts. 

“I think I’m ready for bed,” Hillary suddenly said in a quiet tone a few minutes later. “The water’s getting cold.”   
Bill nodded as he got up and grabbed a fluffy white bath towel for her. “I can sleep on the couch and you can sleep in my bed if you want,” he offered as he passed her the towel and helped her out of the tub.    
She shook her head as she started drying off. “Will you just hold me tonight?” She asked in a quiet tone as she stared at Bill vulnerably.    
“Of course I will,” Bill nodded as he softly stared at her.    
“Thank you,” Hillary nodded and gave Bill a grateful look. She wrapped the towel around herself before she followed Bill through Jessica’s bedroom and across the hallway to the guest bedroom that had unofficially become Bill’s bedroom ever since he had moved in with Jessica several weeks prior. “Crap, I don’t have any pajamas or anything,” Hillary suddenly realized with a stricken look on her face.    
“I’ve got you covered, don’t worry,” Bill assured her as he passed her one of his Arkansas Razorbacks T-shirts.    
“Thanks,” Hillary said with a sigh of relief before she slipped it on.    
Bill took off his pants and changed into a fresh T-shirt before he took Hillary’s hand and led her over to the bed.    
A yawn escaped from Hillary’s lips as she crawled underneath the warm and inviting covers. She wished she could stay in bed and never have to get out of it for the rest of her life.    
Bill climbed into bed after her and softly lay down beside her. He gently stroked her damp hair as he heard her sniffle again. Hillary reached up and grabbed Bill’s hand, clinging to it tightly.    
“I’m so sorry that I dragged you into this mess,” she whispered, feeling incredibly guilty, as Bill gently pecked her forehead. “This is all my fault.”   
“Shhh. Shh, no it’s not, Hill,” Bill quietly assured her, absolutely hating that she was blaming herself for Scott’s death.    
“Yes, it is,” Hillary choked out as she teared up again. “When he said to choose between the two of you, I panicked because I thought he was going to hurt you. I could have talked him out of leaving our house in his condition, or I could have at least called a taxi for him, but instead, I freaked out at the thought of him potentially hurting you.”    
“Honey, we couldn’t have stopped him,” Bill explained. “Accidents happen. They’re tragic, yes. But they happen. Yes, he shouldn’t have been driving while under the influence but if it hadn’t happened tonight, it just would have happened some other time. He had a disease, sweetheart.” He noticed Hillary nod slightly before he continued. “But I wish we could have stopped him, too,” Bill quietly added, as he kissed the top of Hillary’s head again. Even though he was absolutely prepared to step up and be a father to Cassandra, seeing as he had already fallen completely head over heels in love with her, he couldn't stop thinking about that adorable baby girl and how she was now without her actual father. Just like that. Life could change in the blink of an eye.    
“Well thank you for trying your best to deal with him earlier tonight,” Hillary choked out before she started loudly sobbing again.    
“Just let it all out, Hillary,” Bill encouraged as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tightly squeezed her. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”    
Hillary managed to nod as she sobbed into Bill’s chest. Heart wrenching sobs that broke Bill's heart.    
“Shhhh,” Bill soothed. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m right here.”    
He continued to gently rub her back and whisper soothing words and sayings into her ear, until her sobs started to slowly subside eventually.    
“I’m so tired,” she suddenly whispered, as she closed her eyes. All of that crying and the mental weight of the situation had exhausted her.    
“Go to sleep, Hill,” Bill softly encouraged as he reassuringly squeezed her shoulder.    
She shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered. Her voice cracked with emotion and she softly shook her head again.    
“Well, just try,” Bill encouraged as pulled her closer to him and started softly humming, hoping that it would lull her to sleep.    
“You used to sing this to the girls when they were younger,” Hillary suddenly realized as she recognized the tune of the lullaby that Bill was humming.    
“Mmmm, hmmm.” Bill nodded as he gently ran his fingers through Hillary’s hair. “I always thought Jess and Chelsea liked it. And it always did the trick and put them right to sleep.” He softly chuckled.    
“They did like it when you sang it to them.” Hillary nodded. “They definitely preferred it when you sang to them and not me." She managed to _slightly_ , just slightly, chuckle at her own joke.    
“Hey, that’s not true,” Bill softly chuckled again even though they both knew that Hillary wasn’t a very gifted singer to put it nicely.    
“It  _ is _ true,” Hillary insisted, with just the slightest hint of a small smile as she felt relieved to have the distraction of memories from happier times. “And it was adorable when you sang to them, by the way.”    
Bill smiled softly as Hillary gently rested her head on his chest and got comfortable. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.    
“Keep humming,” Hillary whispered before she finally closed her eyes.    
Bill nodded as he continued humming. He gently stroked Hillary’s left arm. “Go to sleep, beautiful,” he whispered.   
Instead of trying to fall asleep, Hillary opened her eyes and stared up at Bill. “I’m so sorry about tonight,” she softly apologized as she bit her lower lip.    
“Hey, you don’t have to apologize to me,” Bill assured her. “ _ I  _ should be the one apologizing to you.”   
Hillary shook her head. “No, Bill. This is my fault and my fault alone.”   
“Shhh, stop it,” Bill soothed. “Don’t think that way. Just go to sleep.”    
Hillary sighed and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed, finally giving in to the lure of sleep as she closed her eyes.    
Bill gently stroked her hair as he waited for Hillary’s breathing to even out, which it eventually did a few minutes later. He was about to close his eyes and go to sleep himself when he heard the bedroom door open a crack and a sleepy looking Hayley wandered into the room.    
“Hey...what are you doing up, Princess?” Bill whispered. “It’s  _ very _ late, sweetheart,” he added.    
“I want mommy,” Hayley said in a tired voice as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.    
“Well, Mommy’s asleep, darling, but how about you spend time with Daddy?” Bill quietly asked as Hayley crawled into bed and got herself settled in between him and a sleeping Hillary.    
Hayley nodded as she snuggled up to her father. “I’m sleepy,” she said.    
“Close your pretty little eyes then,” Bill whispered, as he ran his fingers through his daughter’s dark brown curls.    
She nodded and sleepily yawned, as she curled up into Bill’s side.    
Hillary slightly stirred in her sleep before she wrapped her arm around Hayley’s waist, as she realized that her daughter was in the bed with her and Bill.   
“Mommy,” Hayley happily said with a smile when she realized that her mother was awake.    
“Shhh, go to sleep, sweetheart,” Hillary sleepily mumbled. “It’s late.”    
Hayley nodded as she cuddled up into her mother's embrace. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted back to sleep in her mother’s arms.    
As Bill tenderly stared down at his sleeping ex-wife and daughter, he knew that he wasn't sure what lay ahead for the love of his life and the rest of his family. That night had demonstrated that your life as you knew it, really could change in an instant. But he also knew that, no matter what happened, whatever new challenges his family may face in the days, weeks, and months ahead...Bill knew  that they would eventually get through them and overcome them. Together. As a family. Like they always did. 

To Be Continued...    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I am DYING to hear your thoughts on this chapter specifically haha. I don't wish death on people in real life but seeing as Scott is a ficitional character, I figured it was easier to just get him out of the picture for good, completely, so that he could never bother Hillary, Bill, or their children again. And so that he wouldn't have to be in Hillary's life forever because of Cassandra like many of you pointed out. This was just easier and obviously clears the way for a full Billary reconciliation eventually. 
> 
> I did love the prison idea too that many of you were mentioning in the comments! I had already decided to kill Scott off in an accident eventually, all the way at the very beginning of conceiving of this story and didn't want to stray from the original idea. But the prison idea/suggestion was one of those, "Damn! Why didn't I think of that??" kind of moments lol. 
> 
> Anyways, now I'm rambling and its super late so I better get to bed BUT, I did want to say that I feel bad leaving you guys on a sad note right before the holidays so MAYBE I will attempt to write something fluffier (a oneshot or something) and post it before Christmas or just after. We shall see. No promises but I will try my best :) 
> 
> I haven't decided yet if I want to or if I'm going to have a chance to update before Christmas or not, so if not, I hope everybody has a wonderful, relaxing (and safe!) Christmas if you're celebrating. It's definitely going to be a different kind of Christmas this year but hopefully we can all make the best of the situation and create new traditions. 
> 
> Writing this story has been an absolute blast this year, and it is definitely one of the few highlights of the year for me! I love you all and thank you as always for your support!! Have a great weekend everyone!


	36. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you all had a lovely holiday if you celebrated and that you had a good weekend regardless! Sorry I'm a bit late with posting this, it took me longer than I thought it would to write because I was focusing on writing and posting my AU oneshot first lol. But here we are! On with the story!

When Hillary woke up the next morning, she was hoping that the previous night had just been a horrible dream, a terrible nightmare. But as she woke up in Bill’s bed wrapped up in Bill’s arms, and alternated between staring over at a still sleeping Bill and Hayley and then staring up at the ceiling, reality came crashing down around her. It hadn’t been a bad dream. Her husband was dead.  
She sighed as she rolled over and the digital display on the alarm clock on the nightstand was showing that it was just after six in the morning. She had only gotten about two hours of sleep, if that. She cuddled Hayley against her and tried falling back asleep but she felt too restless.  
She rolled over again and grabbed her phone from where it was charging on the nightstand. She didn’t remember taking it out of her purse and plugging it in to charge the night before but she figured that Bill must have done it for her. She had a few emails and texts that she would need to respond to that day. She took a mental note of the one from Jessica that was informing Hillary that she had gotten a flight from Chicago that landed in Connecticut at noon. She took a shaky breath as she put her phone down and lay back down against the pillows.  
She didn’t mean to but as memories of the events from the previous night started flooding back to her, she couldn’t help but quietly sob to herself. She was trying her best not to wake Hayley or Bill with her crying but it was too late.  
“Aww, Mama!” Hayley had woken up and was frowning at the sight of her mother crying. “Don’t cry, Mama.”  
Hillary quietly gasped, not expecting Hayley to wake up. She quickly wiped her eyes and forced a smile. “Hi!” She said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster before she gently cuddled Hayley against her.  
Hayley was nuzzling her nose against her mother’s cheek when Bill slowly woke up. He groaned quietly to himself as the sun rose and sunlight poured through the bedroom windows, forcing him awake.  
Hillary looked over at him when she realized he was awake.  
“Morning,” he murmured before he leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s cheek. “Did you manage to get some sleep?”  
“Yeah.” Hillary nodded. “A couple hours.”  
“Good.” Bill sleepily nodded. “I’m glad.” Truth be told, he knew that him and Hillary had only gotten about two or so hours of sleep, and they were both still utterly exhausted but he figured two hours of sleep was at least better than no sleep at all.  
“Cassandra’s going to be awake soon,” Hillary mused. “I should feed her.”  
Bill nodded. “Okay. I’ll make us some breakfast.”  
Hillary nodded as she peeled back the covers of the bed and started to slowly climb out.  
“Come on, Hayls,” Bill said, as he scooped her up. “Let’s go make Mama some pancakes.”  
“Yummy!” Hayley excitedly squealed.  
Bill chuckled at how adorable she was. “Yeah, yummy.”  
As Bill took their daughter downstairs, Hillary went over to Cassandra’s bassinet and upon seeing that her youngest daughter was wide awake and alert, she gently scooped the newborn up and took the baby downstairs.

While Hillary fed a very hungry Cassandra in the living room, Hayley was in the kitchen with her father, helping Bill make his famous pancakes.  
“Yummy,” Hayley said again as she stood on a step stool and helped her dad stir the pancake batter.  
“Mmmm hmmm, it’s yummy,” Bill agreed as he carefully watched Hayley stir the batter. He smiled to himself. Even though Hayley was making a mess and pancake batter was going everywhere, she was doing a good job. “Nice job, honey.”  
Hayley grinned to herself, feeling proud. “Make yummy for Mama.”  
Bill nodded and softly smiled. “That’s right, Hayls. Mama needs some cheering up, doesn’t she?”  
He gently ruffled Hayley’s curly hair just as Hillary stood in the doorway of the townhouse’s tiny kitchen, with a now fed, calm and content Cassandra in her arms.  
“Have a seat, Hill,” Bill said, gesturing towards the dining room table. “We’ll have breakfast ready in just a sec.”  
Hillary nodded. She put Cassandra back down into her bassinet while she waited for Bill and Hayley to finish making breakfast.  
“Should we let Chelsea sleep?” Hillary asked, knowing it was still early.  
Bill nodded as he spooned the pancake batter out of its mixing bowl and into an already hot frying pan. “Just let her sleep. We all had a late night last night. I’ll make her a plate when she wakes up.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement before she let out a yawn.  
Bill chuckled and softly smiled over at her. “God, you’re adorable.”  
“Really?” Hillary slightly scoffed and chuckled. “I’ve never thought of myself that way.” She slightly shrugged.  
“Well, you should,” Bill said as he brought the maple syrup over to the table.  
“Today is going to be a _long_ day,” Hillary mused out loud with a sigh, changing the subject. She had so many phone calls and arrangements to make. Not to mention, all the work she would have to do over the next few days and weeks to get Scott’s final affairs in order. She just wanted to get things done as quickly as possible so that she could close this horrible chapter of her life once and for all and begin a new, better one, with Bill.  
Bill frowned to himself, agreeing that it was going to be a long day, heck, a long week. He brought Hillary a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee before he started making his and Hayley’s plates.  
“Can you do me a favor?” Hillary asked him before she started eating. “While I make all of the funeral arrangements, do you mind calling a real estate agent? I need to sell the house. And find a new one that’s more suitable for us and our lifestyle.”  
Bill nodded as he brought his and Hayley’s food over to the table with Hayley trailing close behind him. “I’ll do anything you want. Just name it. I’ll make phone calls. Whatever you need, honey.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary said softly with a nod. “God, I don’t even know _where_ to begin.”  
She had lost loved ones, most notably her parents, and planned funerals before. In fact, in these kinds of situations, she normally took comfort in going on autopilot and making all of the necessary arrangements as a distraction from the grief. But in this case, she had no idea where to even _start_ when it came to planning her _husband’s_ funeral.  
“Well, we’ll figure it out,” Bill said in a soft but encouraging tone. He gave Hillary a gentle smile.  
Hillary nodded and managed to weakly smile in return, happy that she had Bill’s support. She took another bite of her pancakes before she sadly sighed. “God, I don’t know how I’m going to break the news to his siblings.”  
“I can call them for you,” Bill very kindly offered before he took a sip of his coffee.  
Hillary harshly sighed again. “No, Bill. That’s very kind of you but they have to hear it from me.”  
Bill nodded understandingly. He knew that Hillary was right, but he just wanted her to know that she had his support. “Well, finish your breakfast first.”  
Hillary nodded as she ate. “This is delicious. I forgot how much I love your pancakes.”  
Bill smiled and said, “Thanks,” just as a still sleepy Chelsea came downstairs and entered the living/dining room area.  
“Morning, Chels,” Hillary said.  
“Morning,” Chelsea said with a yawn before she took a seat at the dining room table with her parents and sisters. “How are you doing, Mom? Are you okay?”  
“I’m trying to be,” Hillary answered in a quiet voice before she took a sip of her coffee. “We’ll be okay eventually.” She had to say it out loud to believe it herself.  
Chelsea nodded in agreement. Even though her mother sounded unsure of herself as she spoke in an uncharacteristically worried and shaky voice, Chelsea knew that her mother was right. That their family would eventually get through this rough season of life and come out on the other side better and stronger than ever.  
“Are you going to sell the house?” She asked her mother.  
Hillary nodded and took another sip of coffee. “I think so.”  
Chelsea nodded understandingly. She reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand. “I promise I’ll help with Cassandra, and Hayley and Sophia for the next couple of days and weeks before I have to go back to school. I’ll do whatever you need. Okay?” She squeezed Hillary’s hand again.  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said in a watery voice as she teared up, filled up with gratitude for her daughter’s kindness and generosity. She squeezed Chelsea’s hand in return. “I love you, Chels.”  
“I love you, too, Mama,” Chelsea quietly said, giving her mother a tender and reassuring smile as Bill set a plate of pancakes down in front of her.  
  


* * * * * *

“I guess I better get started on my phone calls,” Hillary suddenly realized with a sad and resigned sigh as the family finished up their breakfast.  
Bill nodded understandingly. “Chelsea and I will clean the kitchen and watch Cassandra for you. You can use my bedroom if you want some privacy.”  
“Actually, I think I’ll go back to my house,” Hillary admitted as she nervously bit her lip.  
“Are you sure about that, Hillary?” Bill asked, giving his ex-wife a concerned look, worried for her wellbeing and state of mind, knowing that she already didn’t have the best memories attached to that house.  
Hillary nodded. “It’s fine. I need the privacy and solitude to do what I need to do.”  
Bill nodded and shrugged, wanting to let Hillary grieve for Scott in whatever way she needed to. “Okay, then.”  
Hillary nodded again and got up from the dining room table. “I’m going to get dressed.”  
“I’ll drop you off back at your place when you’re ready,” Bill offered.  
“Thanks,” Hillary gratefully said with a nod before she went upstairs to take a shower.

Finally having a moment to herself, she took advantage of the privacy and solitude that the shower provided to let herself quietly cry a little bit. Weeping, as she let the hot water run down her body, she took her time washing and conditioning her hair before she grabbed the soap and lathered it over her body. Once she was finished showering and she had wiped her eyes and dried her tears, she quickly got dressed, brushed her teeth, and blow dried her hair. Coming downstairs, she found Bill, Chelsea, Hayley and Cassandra in the living room together, waiting for Hillary to finish getting ready. As a sleepy Cassandra snoozed in her bassinet, Bill and Chelsea were sitting on the couch watching the morning news while Hayley was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, happily scribbling away in a coloring book.  
“I'm ready,” Hillary said softly, as she came into the living room. She picked up her purse from where she had left it on the coffee table the night before.  
“Okay.” Bill nodded. “If it’s alright with you, Chelsea and I were thinking that we could take Cassandra and Hayley to the park while you make all of your phone calls and arrangements. To get them out of your hair for a few hours.”  
Hillary nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.”  
Bill nodded. “Great. Let’s head on out then.”  
  
* * * * * 

“Can you pick up Jessica and Sophia from the airport, too?” Hillary turned in her seat to look at Bill as he was making the short drive back to Hillary’s house.  
“Of course,” Bill nodded as he stopped at a red light. “When does their flight get in?”  
“Noon,” Hillary answered as she absentmindedly fiddled with the car’s radio and scrolled through the stations.  
Bill nodded. “Me and the girls will pick them up. No problem. Is there anything else you need, sweetie?”  
“I don’t think so,” Hillary quietly answered as the light turned green and Bill started driving again.  
“Alright,” Bill replied. “Well, just let me know if you think of anything else.”  
Hillary nodded and stared out the window. 

A few minutes later, they arrived back at Hillary’s house. Bill and Chelsea dropped Hillary off and got Cassandra and Hayley’s strollers out of the garage so that they could take the kids to the park before they had to pick up Jessica and Sophia from the airport.  
“Mom’s really broken up,” Chelsea sadly said as she watched her mom walk inside the house while Bill attached Cassandra’s car seat to her stroller.  
Bill sadly sighed to himself. “I know, Chels.”  
“I feel awful for her,” Chelsea replied with a frown as her brows furrowed in concern for her mother’s wellbeing.  
“Me, too, Chels,” Bill sadly sighed. “But we have to be strong for her. Okay?”  
Chelsea nodded in agreement, knowing that her father was right.  
“Now let’s go to the park,” Bill said, once Cassandra and Hayley were happily settled in their strollers. “And then we’ll pick up Jess and Sophia afterwards.”  
Chelsea nodded as she started pushing Hayley’s stroller while Bill pushed Cassandra’s as they all started making the short walk to the cute little park that was up the street from Hillary’s house.  
Hayley giggled excitedly, delighted at the fact that she was going to the park with her dad and her sisters. Even Cassandra was contentedly cooing and gurgling away.  
“They’re so sweet,” Chelsea complimented, smiling down at her younger sisters. “I can’t wait to have my own kids some day.”  
Bill chuckled. “You’ll be a great mom one day, Chels. But please. For the sake of me and your mother, wait at least _a few_ years. Okay?” He laughed again.  
Chelsea smirked over at her dad. “I know, Dad. Don’t worry. It’s still a long ways off.” She quietly chuckled to herself.  
Bill nodded and chuckled again. “Good.” As they stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light to change, Bill looked over at his daughter. “So, Chels. I know this has been a lot to process. Everything happened so fast,” he started, as he realized that it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet since Scott had passed. “How are you doing with all of this?” He gave his daughter a concerned look.  
Chelsea frowned and sighed. “I…” She hesitated as the light changed and they started crossing the street. “I...don’t know how to feel, honestly,” she candidly answered. She was experiencing a lot of mixed emotions and feelings. “I mean, Scott treated Mom horribly and I didn’t like the guy but...he was still a person, you know?” She nervously swallowed, feeling almost guilty for having admitted that out loud. “He had a daughter,” she stared down at her youngest sister. “And siblings. And friends.”  
“I know, sweetheart,” Bill quietly said, looking over at his daughter. “And it’s okay to feel that way.”  
“He was so horrible to Mom though.” Chelsea nervously swallowed again and looked down.  
“It’s okay to be sad right now, Chels,” Bill assured his daughter. He reached over and reassuringly squeezed her right shoulder.  
“It’s not like he was you though.” Chelsea shrugged.  
“But he was still a part of your life,” Bill pointed out. “And he’s your sister’s father.”  
Chelsea nodded in agreement. “He wasn’t the man he eventually became when him and Mom first got together. He was nice...at first.”  
Bill nodded understandingly.  
“We just wanted Mom to be happy and we thought she _was_ happy. _She_ thought she was happy with Scott,” Chelsea explained.  
Bill nodded again.  
“Plus, you were off with stupid Alexis,” Chelsea pointed out in a tone more bitter than she intended it to be. “Mom had every right to move on from you.”  
“I know, honey,” Bill quietly said, feeling the sting of shame and guilt that his daughter’s words caused. He looked down, feeling ashamed of his past actions. “I’m really sorry for what I did to you and your Mom and your sisters, Chelsea. I know that I’ve made mistakes in the past but I’m going to try my best to make it up to all of you for the rest of my life. I want to be with you all.”  
“We want that, too,” Chelsea quietly said, nodding, as she tried not to cry. As they arrived at the park and walked over to a bench, she distracted herself by helping to get Hayley out of her stroller while Bill was checking on Cassandra.  
“Do you love her?” Chelsea asked, nodding her head towards her youngest and newest sister.  
“I do,” Bill honestly answered in a quiet voice as he gently scooped the newborn up and cradled her in his arms as he sat down on the park bench.  
“Good,” Chelsea nodded and weakly smiled. “Because she’ll need you.”  
Bill nodded, agreeing with his daughter. “We’ll just have to see what your mother wants.”  
Chelsea nodded understandingly, knowing that it was her mother’s decision at the end of the day, whether she wanted to officially take her father back or not.  
Hayley suddenly impatiently tugged on Chelsea’s arm. “Go play!”  
Chelsea forced a smile for her sister’s sake and grinned down at Hayley. “Yeah, let’s go play!” She grabbed Hayley’s hand and led her over to the swings while Bill stayed with Cassandra.  
As Cassandra quietly cooed away, Bill stared down at the beautiful newborn in his arms.  
“You’re beautiful,” Bill whispered, staring down into the baby girl’s beautiful sparkling blue eyes. “Just like your Mama. You have her gorgeous blue eyes.” He smiled down at the baby.  
Cassandra happily cooed up at Bill just as Hayley ran back over to them, with Chelsea trailing behind.  
“Hi, Hayls,” Bill smiled over at his daughters as Hayley climbed up onto the park bench and sat down next to her father. “What’s up, Princess? Don’t you want to go play with your sister?”  
Hayley shook her head. “No. Play with baby Cassie.”  
Bill gave his daughter a gentle smile. He quietly chuckled, knowing that Cassandra couldn’t exactly play with anyone just yet, but he was relieved that Hayley was getting over her jealousy of her younger sister, and that she wanted to spend time with Cassandra.  
“How about we go to the sandbox?” Bill suggested.  
Hayley nodded and excitedly squealed.  
Bill chuckled, “Let’s go then.”  
Chelsea grabbed some of the sand toys that they had brought with them from the bottom storage compartment of Hayley’s stroller and the family all headed over to the sandbox.  
As Bill carefully sat down on the edge with Cassandra still in his arms, Hayley plopped down in the middle and started building a sandcastle with Chelsea.  
“I love baby Cassie,” Hayley happily said as she stared at her father and Cassandra.  
“You’re a good sister,” Bill complimented with a smile just as Hayley abandoned the sandcastle and climbed into Chelsea’s lap instead.  
As Chelsea took the opportunity to tickle her younger sister causing Hayley to loudly squeal in surprise, Bill grinned over at his daughters, happy and relieved that they all had gotten a fun and carefree distraction from the heaviness of the last few hours. 

As they all soaked in their family time together, built a sandcastle together as a family and pushed Hayley on the swings, Bill suddenly checked his watch a few hours later and realized it was time to go pick up Jessica and Sophia from the airport.  
“Let’s go get Jessie and Sophia,” he said to Chelsea.  
Chelsea nodded as she stopped pushing Hayley and Hayley’s swing came to a stop.  
“Jessie?” Hayley squealed excitedly, clapping her hands as she looked at her father with anticipation in her eyes. She had missed her oldest sister in the few hours they had been a part.  
Bill chuckled as he gently rested Cassandra back into her car seat and made sure she was settled. “Yeah, we’re going to go see Jessie now. Let’s go.”  
  
* * * * * *

After they had made the short walk back to Hillary’s house to put away the strollers and the sand toys, Bill, Chelsea, Hayley, and Cassandra were soon back on the road, heading towards the airport. A few minutes after their arrival, while waiting in the baggage claim area, they soon saw Jessica and Sophia approaching them.  
“Hey!” Looking incredibly relieved to see her stepfather and her sisters, Jessica quickened her pace, pushing Sophia’s stroller a little bit faster, and rushed over to where her family was waiting for her.  
As Chelsea and Jessica tightly embraced, Bill realized that Sophia wasn’t in the best mood as the toddler was inconsolably whining and crying.  
“Oh, no,” Bill said, frowning.  
Jessica sadly sighed as she broke apart from her embrace with her younger sister. “Yeah, the flight was rough for her. I think her ears hurt. Poor thing.”  
“Oh, no,” Bill said again as he scooped the toddler up and out of her stroller, eager to comfort her and calm her down.  
Chelsea went to go help Jessica with grabbing her and Sophia’s bags while Bill went to work calming Sophia down.  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill quietly soothed, gently bouncing the toddler up and down in his arms. “You’re okay now. Grandpa’s here.” He gently kissed his granddaughter’s pudgy little cheek as her tears soon stopped streaming down her face and she started to slowly calm down, feeling comforted by her grandfather’s soothing words and gentle embrace.  
Bill softly smiled. “That’s better.”  
“I guess someone just wanted her grandpa,” Chelsea said, chuckling as Jessica and Chelsea came back over to Bill, Sophia, Cassandra, and Hayley with Jessica and Sophia’s luggage in tow.  
“Yeah, she adores you, Bill,” Jessica agreed, also chuckling, relieved that her daughter seemed to be in a better mood.  
“Well, I adore her, too.” Bill softly smiled at his granddaughter before he put her back in her stroller, so that he could properly greet Jessica. He gave his oldest daughter a tight embrace.  
“Hi, sweetheart,” he greeted as he lightly pecked Jessica’s cheek.  
“Hey,” Jessica whispered, as they broke apart from their hug. “It’s so good to see you guys.” She added before she suddenly yawned loudly. “Sorry. I’m exhausted. Sophia was cranky the entire flight.” She groaned to herself.  
“I think she must have been anxious to see her grandparents and her aunties,” Chelsea said with a knowing smile. They hadn’t been apart from each other for long, less than a day, but that didn’t mean that Jessica and Sophia hadn’t been missed the night before and vice versa.  
Jessica lightly chuckled. “Probably.”  
Sophia happily babbled away in her stroller, now in a much better mood.  
“Jessie!” Hayley suddenly squealed in delight, as she tugged on her older sister’s wrist.  
“Hi,Hayls!” Jessica grinned down at her younger sister, happy to see her.  
“Hi!” Hayley grinned in return.  
“So, how’s Mom doing?” Jessica asked Bill as the family grabbed Sophia’s stroller and all the luggage and started leaving the airport, heading in the direction of the parking lot.  
“She’s holding up,” Bill answered, with a shrug. “It’s rough though. Right now she’s at her house making all of the necessary phone calls and starting on the funeral arrangements.”  
Jessica nodded understandingly. She worriedly bit her lip, anxious to get to her mother’s side. “Poor thing.”  
Bill nodded and sighed in agreement, also feeling horrible for his ex-wife.

“Can we go back to our house?” Chelsea asked, as they all arrived back at the car.  
“Yeah, I want to see Mom,” Jessica agreed, as she gently scooped up Sophia from her stroller and transferred her daughter into her car seat.  
Bill nodded. “Of course. I’m sure she wants to see you guys, too.”   
The girls all nodded before they got Cassandra, Hayley, and Sophia buckled into their car seats and started heading back to Hillary’s house.  
“God, I feel so bad,” Jessica said with a sad sigh as she shook her head in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that after everything, Scott was actually dead. She took her sunglasses out of her purse and put them on before she stared out the window.  
“Me, too,” Bill said with a sad sigh of his own. “She’s pretty broken up.”  
“I can imagine,” Jessica replied, nodding. She frowned to herself, worried about her mom.  
  


* * * * * *

When they arrived back at Hillary’s house, deciding to come back for Jessica’s and Sophia’s luggage later, Chelsea, Bill, and Jessica unbuckled the girls from their car seats and everybody headed inside.  
Hillary was quietly sobbing to herself on the living room couch when they entered the room. Her cell phone and the landline cordless phone were both lying facedown on the couch next to her and her laptop was open in front of her on the coffee table.  
Jessica immediately rushed over to her mother’s side and sat down on the couch next to Hillary. “Mom!”  
Hillary looked up suddenly, taken by surprise by her family’s arrival. Time had gotten away from her and she hadn’t realized that Jessica and Sophia’s flight had already landed.  
“Jessie!” Hillary said, surprised as Jessica immediately wrapped her arms around her mother.  
“Hi!” Jessica said, as Hillary sunk into her daughter’s comforting embrace.  
“Hey,” Hillary softly whispered, grateful to have her oldest daughter physically back by her side. She sniffled as she pulled away from her embrace with Jessica. “I just got off the phone with Scott’s older sister.”  
“Oh.” Jessica nodded understandingly. “I’m sorry, Mama.”  
“She didn’t take it well, obviously,” Hillary explained in a shaky voice. “Neither did his brother.” She let out a sad, shaky and unsure sigh. She couldn’t blame Scott’s older siblings for reacting the way they had. She would be absolutely heartbroken and devastated herself if one of her brother’s had passed away under similar circumstances. “They blame me.” She sadly shook her head. “Heck, I blame myself.”  
“Hey, this wasn’t your fault, Mom,” Jessica quietly murmured, as she gently rubbed her mother’s back.  
But her daughter’s words and actions did little to comfort Hillary as she broke down and started sobbing again.  
“Hey, Chels? How about you take your sisters and your niece to go play outside?” Bill gently suggested, knowing that Hillary wouldn’t want to be this visibly upset in front of her children.  
Chelsea just nodded, listening to her father, also not wanting Hayley and Sophia to have to see Hillary so upset and broken.  
She gently scooped up Cassandra from her car seat and grabbed Hayley’s hand, taking the girls outside to the backyard while Jessica followed behind them with Sophia.  
Bill tightly wrapped his arms around Hillary and let his ex-wife cry into his shoulder.  
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Bill soothed as he gently rubbed her back while her tears soaked his shirt.  
Jessica came back inside the house a moment later and sat down beside her parents on the couch. She also started gently rubbing her mother’s back.  
“Shh, mom. It’s okay,” Jessica soothed, echoing her stepfather’s soothing words. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” she continued as Bill unwrapped his arms from around Hillary so that Jessica could take a turn hugging her mother.  
Hillary nodded and wiped at her eyes as Jessica wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders. She sniffled. “I um, I called the funeral home and made an appointment with the funeral director at four.”  
Bill and Jessica just nodded.  
“I’m going to make you a nice cup of tea,” Jessica decided, as she let go of her mother and stood up from the couch.  
“Good idea,” Bill said, nodding.  
Hillary nodded as well before she suddenly let out an exhausted sigh. “Ugh, I just want to sleep.”  
“Go take a nap then,” Bill quietly suggested, seeing how exhausted his ex-wife looked and knowing how little sleep she had gotten the night before.  
Hillary shook her head. “I can’t. The phone’s been ringing off the hook ever since I started informing people. I have to handle things.” Hillary was being as stubborn as ever, even as she rubbed her tired eyes. She cuddled up to Bill and gently leaned her head against his shoulder. Bill leaned down and gently pecked her forehead.  
“Did Cassandra eat?” Hillary suddenly asked.  
“I gave her a bottle while we were at the park but she’s probably hungry again,” Bill answered.  
Hillary nodded, suddenly realizing how engorged her breasts felt. “I have to feed her.”  
Bill nodded as Hillary got up from the couch and went outside to go get Cassandra. She brought her back inside and got the both of them settled comfortably on the couch next to Bill, so that Hillary could feed her daughter. She was in the middle of doing so when Hillary’s cell phone rang for what felt like the millionth time that day.  
“Hello?” Hillary answered, putting the phone on speakerphone so that she could continue to feed Cassandra while she spoke to whomever it was on the other end.  
“Hey,” a familiar voice came through on the other end. “It’s me...Betsy.”  
“Oh...hi,” Hillary said, utterly surprised to hear from her best friend. She wasn’t expecting to hear from Betsy any time soon after the way their last encounter had gone. She hadn’t even told Betsy or Melissa that Scott had passed away. “What’s up?”  
“Jessica called this morning and told us what happened,” Betsy explained, cutting right to the chase. “And Oh, God, Hillary. I’m _so_ sorry for your loss. I can’t even believe this happened.”  
“Yeah,” Hillary quietly sighed. “Me, neither. I’m still in shock, truth be told.”  
She wasn’t sure of her best friend’s intentions with this phone call but it sure did feel great to hear Betsy’s voice.  
“I know this is awkward after what happened the last time we spoke but…” Betsy hesitated before she once again, cut to the chase. “Melissa and I want to come to the funeral.”  
“Oh,” Was all Hillary could say, surprised that her friends were willing to come to Scott’s funeral to support her. “Sure. Okay.” It was a public funeral, she wasn’t going to stop them from coming, if they really wanted to come.  
“Jess told us what Scott was really like, and Oh God, Hillary. We had no idea. I’m _so_ sorry.” The guilt and regret was evident in Betsy’s voice.  
“Yeah, it’s okay,” Hillary quietly said. There was a reason she hadn’t been forthcoming to her best friends about the real Scott, and most of it was shame and embarrassment. “I’ll call you with the date and time when the funeral plans are finalized. I’m meeting with the funeral director in a few hours to make arrangements.” She didn’t want to get into everything with Betsy on the phone, it was definitely a deeper conversation that needed to be had in person, face to face, not over the phone. But Hillary sure was relieved that Betsy had reached out.  
“Okay, Hillary,” Betsy quietly said. “Yes, please let us know of the funeral arrangements. We’ll be there. See you in a few days, I guess. Take care of yourself, okay?”  
“Right. Thanks,” Hillary quietly murmured. “See you soon.” She hung up and placed the phone facedown on the coffee table in front of her.  
Bill rubbed her back comfortingly, seeing the expression on Hillary’s face. “Everything will be okay, Hillary. Okay?”  
“I don’t see how,” Hillary replied with a sad and frustrated sigh.  
“Hey, I’m going to be with you. I’ll be right by your side this entire time,” Bill assured his ex-wife.  
Hillary nodded gratefully and gave Bill a watery smile. “Thank you, Bill.”  
Since Cassandra was finished eating, Hillary leaned over and gently pecked Bill’s cheek. Bill softly smiled and wrapped his arm around Hillary’s shoulders in return.  
As she cradled her daughter in her arms, Hillary stared down at a now sleepy Cassandra. She gently stroked the newborn’s cheek with her thumb and softly kissed Cassandra’s forehead.  
“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” she whispered, as she teared up again.  
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her fresh set of tears at bay but it was to no avail. She started quietly crying again, feeling terrible for her daughter. Bill scooped up Cassandra out of Hillary’s arms and put the now sleeping baby into her bassinet. He sat back down with Hillary on the couch and pulled her into his arms.  
“It hurts!” Hillary loudly sobbed into Bill’s shoulder.  
“God, I am so sorry, Hillary,” Bill whispered as he rubbed her back, feeling just awful for his ex-wife. “God, I wish there was more that I could do for you right now.”  
“I hate him,” Hillary cried. “I hate him for doing this!”  
“He was sick, sweetheart,” Bill whispered.  
“But he didn’t have to do this,” Hillary sobbed, tears and snot running down her face. “He didn’t have to! Now Cassandra’s never going to know her real father!”  
Bill squeezed Hillary tightly and lovingly stroked her hair and her back. “Well, you can tell her all about him one day.”  
Hillary nodded as her sobs started to slowly subside.  
“You just take all the time you need to grieve, Hillary. And I’ll be here for you,” Bill assured his ex-wife.  
Hillary nodded. “Thank you, Bill,” she said softly. “I appreciate you being here _so_ much. You have no idea.”  
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill replied in a quiet and soothing tone. He softly and reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s left thigh. “Not for anything. I love being with you.”  
“You’re a good man, Bill Clinton,” Hillary said as she stared deeply into Bill’s eyes. “Not too many people would be able to comfort a woman while they mourn the loss of another man.”  
“Well, I know I drove you to him,” Bill explained, feeling the shame and the guilt creep back in. “It wouldn’t be right of me to be mad or upset that you remarried. You had every right to move on. And I just want to be here for you now.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully whispered as she teared up again. She reached over and squeezed Bill’s hand.  
Bill leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s cheek just as Jessica came back with a steaming mug of peppermint tea for Hillary.  
“Thank you, honey,” Hillary gratefully said with a sniffle as she took the steaming hot mug from her daughter. She put it down on the coffee table to let it cool. “How was your flight?” She asked as Jessica took a seat on the couch on Hillary’s other side.  
“It was fine.” Jessica shrugged. “Uneventful. Sophia was pretty crabby though.”  
Right on cue, Chelsea walked into the house with a screaming and crying Sophia.  
“Uh-oh,” Hillary said.  
Chelsea frowned. “She scraped her knee.”  
“Oh, no,” Jessica said as she noticed her daughter’s bloody knee. Just as she made to get up off the couch, Bill quickly stood up before Jessica or Hillary could have a chance to.  
“I’ve got her,” Bill said, reaching his arms out for his crying granddaughter. He turned towards his ex-wife and daughter. “You two relax. We’ll be right back.” He walked over to Chelsea and grabbed Sophia from her.  
“Thank God for Bill,” Jessica said as Bill took Sophia upstairs to the guest bathroom to get her cleaned up and Chelsea went to re-join Hayley in the backyard. Jessica leaned her head against Hillary’s shoulder. “I’m exhausted.”  
“I know, right?” Hillary agreed. She softly chuckled to herself. “Thank God for Bill.” She really didn’t know what she would have done without him by her side during this difficult time.  
Jessica smiled softly over at her mother.  
“Take a nap, kitty cat,” Hillary quietly said as she ran her fingers through Jessica’s long flowing golden blonde hair. “You look exhausted.”  
“You nap, too,” Jessica urged, cuddling up closer to her mother.  
“That actually sounds great right about now,” Hillary acquiesced as she grabbed a light gray throw blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself and her daughter.  
They both snuggled up to each other and closed their eyes.  
“I’m here if you ever need to talk, Mom,” Jessica sleepily said before they both fell asleep.  
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Hillary sleepily murmured before she drifted off.  
  


When Bill came downstairs a few minutes later with a now calmer and happier Sophia (all she needed was a band-aid and for Grandpa to kiss her boo-boo better), the sight in front of him absolutely melted his heart as he saw Jessica and Hillary cuddled up to each other on the couch, napping together. He didn’t have the heart to wake them up, they both looked so calm and peaceful and he knew that they both must be exhausted. Plus, Sophia was feeling better and seemed to be in a much better mood. He turned towards his granddaughter and gently kissed her on the forehead. “Come on, Sophie. Let’s let Mommy and Grandma sleep and we’ll go play with your aunties outside.”  
  


* * * * *

When Hillary woke up from her nap an hour later, Bill and the girls had moved their playing indoors. Chelsea had gone upstairs to her room to read while Bill was sitting on the living room floor, playing with Hayley and Sophia.  
“Thank you, Daddy!” Hayley grinned at Bill as he had handed her a doll.  
“You’re welcome,” Bill softly smiled back at her and gently stroked her cheek.  
Not yet noticing that Hillary was awake, he got up off the floor and went to go check on Cassandra.  
“Is the baby still sleepy, Daddy?” Hayley sweetly asked.  
“She’s kind of tired, but she’s awake now,” Bill said as he gently scooped up the infant from her bassinet and sat back down with his daughter and granddaughter on the living room floor. He cuddled Cassandra against his chest.  
“Hey,” Hillary finally murmured.  
Bill looked up and realized that his ex-wife was awake from her nap. “Hey, beautiful,” he greeted, softly smiling at her.  
Hillary weakly smiled at Bill in return as she reached over and gently stroked a still sleeping Jessica’s hair. " Have they been behaving?” She asked Bill, yawning slightly.  
“Oh, yeah, they’ve been great,” Bill assured Hillary. “You know I love spending time with them.”  
Hillary nodded and tenderly smiled again.  
“It’s so funny,” Bill started, chuckling slightly. “I always thought I’d have at least one son but instead I’m always surrounded by girls.”  
Hillary managed to work up a chuckle of her own. “I know, it’s so crazy. I always thought we’d have a boy one day, too. But it's adorable, watching you and our little princesses.” She suddenly smirked as Sophia tried handing Bill her Princess Ariel Barbie doll. “You love it, too.”  
“I do,” Bill admitted, chuckling as Sophia left the Barbie doll in Bill’s lap upon realizing that his hands were full with the baby in his arms. “I am a ladies man after all.” He smirked at Hillary in return.  
“Well, I hope you can settle for just being my man,” Hillary quietly said, as she nervously looked down and bit her lip.  
“Hmmm…” Bill pretended to be in deep thought. “Well, it’ll be tough,” he teased. “But I think I can manage,” he added with another teasing smirk. He was just relieved that Hillary still wanted to be with him after everything he had put her through.   
“Play with us, Mama,” Hayley sweetly said, holding one of her Barbies out towards Hillary.  
Hillary nodded. Careful not to wake a still sleeping Jessica, she carefully got up off the couch and sat down on the floor with her ex-husband, daughters, and granddaughter.  
Sophia excitedly came over and crawled into her grandmother’s lap.  
Hillary softly smiled and cuddled the one year old. “She looks exactly like Jessica did at this age,” she mused before she leaned down and kissed the top of the one year old’s hair.  
“I know. It’s crazy,” Bill agreed, nodding. He hadn’t yet known Jessica then but he had seen pictures of her from when she was that age.  
“She’s beautiful,” Hillary remarked, gently squeezing her granddaughter.  
“Just like her Mama and Grandma,” Bill complimented, eliciting a blush from Hillary.  
Bill smiled over at her.  
Hillary softly smiled in return before she glanced over at the clock on the DVD player. She quietly groaned to herself. “I have to go to my meeting at the funeral home soon.”  
“I can come with you,” Bill offered without hesitation. But he immediately backtracked. “For moral support.” he explained. “If you want me to?” He wasn’t sure how Hillary would feel about that.  
“Would you?” Hillary was surprised by Bill’s offer but she was also grateful for it. She definitely would need the moral support.  
“Of course,” Bill nodded and gave Hillary a supportive and reassuring smile. “Let me just go tell Chelsea to watch the kids while Jessica naps, and then we’ll go.”

* * * * *  
  
Making funeral arrangements for her husband hadn’t exactly been the best way to spend an afternoon. But Hillary was relieved that other than a few last minute details that still needed to be sorted out, she had gotten the bulk of it done that day. And she had been relieved and incredibly grateful that Bill had been there, right by her side, for every meeting and appointment. Not many ex-husband’s would help their ex-wife plan and arrange another man’s funeral. Hillary felt incredibly lucky and grateful for Bill’s unconditional support. She was also relieved to be back at home for the night with Bill cooking her some dinner. Jessica and Chelsea had taken Hayley and Sophia to the mall for a few hours so that Bill and Hillary could have some much needed alone time together.  
“Thanks for cooking, Bill,” Hillary said from her seat at the kitchen table as she watched Bill who was standing over the stove, stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce.  
“It’s no problem, Hillary,” Bill assured his ex-wife. He wanted to make sure she was eating and taking care of herself during this incredibly difficult time.  
Hillary gently rocked Cassandra in her arms, eliciting tiny coos and gurgles of delight from the baby.  
“You are _too_ cute,” Hillary softly smiled down at her daughter, happy to be able to spend some quality time with her. “I’m glad that Jessica and Chelsea took the kids out so that we can have some alone time.”  
“Yeah, me, too,” Bill nodded in agreement. He went to check on the pasta which was boiling away, just as Cassandra suddenly started quietly whimpering.  
“Shhh,” Hillary gently soothed. She had just fed her so she knew that her daughter couldn’t possibly be hungry. “I’m going to go change her diaper and put her down for a nap,” she said to Bill.  
Bill nodded. “Go ahead.” 

When Hillary came back to the kitchen a while later, after putting a tired Cassandra to bed for the night, dinner was ready.  
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary gratefully said as she sat down at the kitchen table and Bill put a plate of spaghetti bolognese in front of her along with a side caesar salad.  
“Don’t mention it,” Bill assured her as he took a seat at the table across from her and started digging into his own plate of food. The both of them had had a long afternoon of making funeral arrangements and they were both starving.  
However, despite her physical hunger, Hillary could only pick at her food. Mentally, she couldn’t work up an appetite. She was hungry but she also didn’t have any physical urge to eat. She shakily sighed and looked down at her lap. “I’m so sad, Bill. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”  
“It’s okay to be upset, Hillary,” Bill softly assured his ex-wife. “I mean, you lost your husband. You two had a child together.”  
Hillary nodded and looked away from Bill. “I did love him at one pint.”  
Bill nodded. “I know,” he quietly said. “And he was good to you and the kids at first.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Everything was amazing when we were first dating. It was...magical. I thought I was living in a fairytale or something.” She bitterly chuckled, as she remembered how quickly things had changed. “But then everything changed after the wedding and after my first miscarriage. It was like he became a completely different person overnight.” She shook her head as the horrible memories came flooding back to her. “He was always critical of me and my looks. He was especially critical about my weight.” She sadly shook her head again. “God, he made me feel _so_ damn self conscious.” She took a sip of her water before she teared up and sniffled. “But he gave me Cassandra,” she realized. At least she was the one good, beautiful thing to have come out of this entire mess, Hillary thought to herself. “And now she’s never going to know him,” Hillary added, as she sucked in a breath to try to stop the tears that were threatening to spill. She suddenly laughed in an ironic way and swiped at her eyes with her index fingers. “God, I don’t even think I can cry anymore.” She shook her head to herself again. “Ugh, I feel absolutely horrible.”  
She frowned and started picking at her spaghetti again.  
“You would feel better if you ate,” Bill urged. “Come on, just eat a few bites, Hill. Pasta is the ultimate comfort food.”  
Hillary acquiesced and nodded. She knew Bill was right and that she needed to eat something. “Okay.” She picked up her fork and twirled some pasta on it before taking a bite. “Mmm, this is delicious, Bill!” She complimented.  
Bill smiled softly, relieved to see her eating. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it. I like your fancy kitchen.” He softly chuckled.  
Hillary laughed. “Yeah, this kitchen is one of the few things that I’ll miss about this house. I didn’t get the chance to use it enough. Scott always did all of the cooking.” She let out a sad sigh.  
“You don’t have to sell this house, Hillary,” Bill reminded her. “We can live here if you want.”  
Hillary shrugged. “No. I need to. I don’t want the constant reminder of this time in my life. Even being here right now is kind of putting me on edge, truth be told.”  
“Oh,” Bill nodded. “Okay.”  
“Let’s go back to yours and Jess’ place for the night when the kids get back,” Hillary suggested, before she took another bite of her dinner. “I don’t want to spend the night here,” she added, after she had swallowed.  
Bill nodded understandingly as he took a sip of his Diet Coke. “Do you need anything else?” He checked. “Do you want something else to drink besides water?” He offered.  
“Is there coffee?” Hillary asked, as she rubbed her tired eyes.  
Bill nodded. He got up from the table and grabbed a bag of coffee grounds from one of the kitchen cabinets.  
“Scott always forgot that I take my coffee black,” Hillary remarked as Bill started the coffee pot. She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes before she suddenly sighed again and looked down. “Poor guy.” She shook her head to herself.  
“He was sick, Hill,” Bill quietly said, frowning to himself.  
Hillary nodded and sighed. “I know. I just feel like there was more I could have done.” She shrugged.  
“It seems to me that you did everything you could for him,” Bill supplied, sitting back down across the table from Hillary.  
“It doesn’t feel that way,” Hillary quietly said, shaking her head.  
“Hillary.” Bill stared softly into her eyes. “Hillary, you can’t think this way. Okay?”  
“I just think I could have stopped him from leaving and driving in his condition, if I had just tried harder,” Hillary said, looking down, feeling full of shame and guilt.  
“Sweetie, you tried your best,” Bill quietly said in an encouraging tone of voice.  
“I can’t even think about this anymore,” Hillary admitted, closing her eyes out of frustration and exhaustion.  
Bill nodded. He got up to make Hillary’s drink as the coffee finished brewing. “Finish your dinner and your coffee and then we’ll go back to my place. Okay?”  
Hillary nodded and twirled more spaghetti onto her fork. “Okay.”  
  


* * * * *

Later that night once they had arrived back at the townhouse and Jessica and Hillary had given Hayley and Sophia their baths and put the toddlers to bed, the rest of the family was watching a movie together in the living room. But truth be told, Hillary wasn’t paying much attention to the action on screen. She was too distracted.  
“So are you going to call a real estate agent soon about selling the house, Mom?” Chelsea suddenly asked, also not being able to concentrate on the movie.  
“Hmm?” Hillary asked, as her daughter suddenly jolted her out of her thoughts.  
“Are you still going to sell the house, Mom?” Chelsea asked.  
“Yes.” Hillary nodded. “I think so.”  
“Good.” Chelsea nodded. “You and Dad can find a house that’s not as big. Since it’ll just be you, and Dad, and Hayley and Cassandra once I go back to school.”  
Hillary nodded distractedly but the faraway look in Hillary’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed by her daughter.  
“You and Dad _are_ moving back in together, right?” Chelsea double checked. As far as she knew, that had been the plan as of forty-eight hours ago. But that was before Scott’s death.  
“I don’t know, Chels,” Hillary suddenly admitted with a sad sigh. “We’ll see. To be honest with you, I really don’t want to be married to anyone again. At least not for _a while_ .”  
“So? You two can still live together,” Chelsea pointed out with a frustrated look on her face.  
“I’m not so sure,” Hillary admitted, biting her lip and looking down at her lap.  
Bill frowned and his brow furrowed. He had tried to be understanding of Hillary’s situation and he knew that he had hurt her in the past but hearing her admit these thoughts out loud admittedly stung.  
“I think I need some time on my own first,” Hillary explained, seeing the incredulous look on her daughter’s face.  
“I’m going to go for a walk,” Bill suddenly said, as he angrily stood up off the couch.  
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Bill,” Hillary said with a frustrated sigh. “Don’t go.”  
“It’s fine.” Bill angrily shook his head before he stormed out of the house.  
“Mom!” Chelsea argued. “Are you _trying_ to hurt him?”  
“Of course not, Chels.” Hillary sadly sighed, feeling guilty for upsetting Bill. “I’m just confused right now, truth be told.”  
“Whatever.” Chelsea rolled her eyes before she got up from the armchair she had been sitting in and retreated downstairs to the basement where she was staying.   
“Oh, God.” Hillary let out a shaky sigh as she felt tears pool in her eyes yet again. She had to go fix things. She had to go explain herself to Bill.  
  


* * * * * *

After giving it some thought and wondering where Bill could have wandered off too, Hillary remembered that there was an old school diner nearby that was mostly frequented by Yale University students. And knowing how much her ex-husband loved junk food, she figured he might have gone in search of some comfort food.

And her hunch had been right. When she parked Jessica’s car in the parking lot of the diner, she could see through the diner’s large windows that Bill was sitting at the counter drinking a thick and creamy looking chocolate milkshake. She entered the diner and took a seat on the empty barstool that next to Bill. She reached over and grabbed his hand.  
Bill looked over, surprised to see her. “What are you doing here, Hillary?”  
“Making sure that you don’t hate me,” Hillary sheepishly answered.  
“I could never hate you, Hillary,” Bill admitted, also feeling sheepish himself for storming out the way he had. “Hell, I understand that you’re not ready to get back together just yet. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt any less. I’m allowed to be upset and feel my feelings.”  
“It’s nothing you did, Bill,” Hillary clarified, staring at her ex-husband tenderly. “I just don’t want to jump back into a relationship right away.”  
Bill just shook his head incredulously.  
“Damn it, Bill! My husband just _died_ !” Hillary argued.  
“I know that and I know you need time to grieve,” Bill replied in an understanding tone. “But you were completely fine with leaving him and getting back together with me _before_ he died.”  
“I’m not allowed to change my mind?” Hillary asked. She angrily shook her head. “I don’t need this extra stress on top of everything else right now, Bill.”  
“So now I’m _stressful_ to you?” Bill asked in a hushed tone, looking taken aback by Hillary’s words.  
“Right now, right at this moment you are, yes,” Hillary honestly answered. “I need to be planning my husband’s funeral and getting his affairs in order. Not worrying about you throwing a temper tantrum.”  
“I’m not throwing a temper tantrum,” Bill argued, getting defensive. “And I thought I was being helpful. I’ve been doing absolutely everything possible for you ever since Scott passed away.”  
“Bill, I’m sorry.” Hillary sadly sighed and shook her head. “I’m just not yet quite ready to be in a relationship again.”  
“Well, I’ll give you your space then,” Bill angrily said as he turned away from her and stared straight ahead.  
“I don’t want space from you,” Hillary tried to clarify. “I’d love to still be friends for now if that’s alright with you. I just can’t be in a relationship right now.”  
“I’ll try, Hillary,” Bill gave in but he couldn’t stop himself from choking up. “I don’t know how to _just_ be your friend though.”  
Hillary also teared up, feeling incredibly guilty for breaking Bill’s heart like this. “Bill, I don’t know why you’re being like this. I’m just asking for a few weeks of alone time to gather my thoughts and find myself again. Okay?”  
“Okay, fine,” Bill acquiesced in a hurt and angry sounding tone. He took a sip of his milkshake. “If that’s what you need.”  
Hillary just shook her head at how stubborn Bill was behaving before she got up and stormed out of the diner.  
“Shit!” Bill cursed, feeling frustrated with both himself and Hillary. He left some cash on the diner’s counter to cover the cost of the milkshake before he went after Hillary. He managed to catch up to her in the parking lot before she got into Jessica’s car. “Hillary, why are you running away from me? I told you I’d give you what you want.”  
“Well, I know you hate me for it!” Hillary choked out.  
“I don’t hate you, Hillary,” Bill tenderly assured her, instantly softening upon seeing how hurt and upset his ex-wife looked and sounded. “I love you, Hillary. God, I love you more than anything else in this world. I would _anything_ for you. Absolutely anything. Even if what _you_ want hurts like _hell_ for me.”  
“Fine, Bill.” Hillary raised her arms in the air in frustration. “Fine. Move in with me. Do whatever you want.”  
“Hillary,” Bill sighed. “Stop it. I’m not asking you to do something you’re not comfortable with or that you don’t want to do. I’m just asking for you to try to understand things from my perspective. Okay?”  
“Well, so am I!” Hillary argued.  
“And I’ve been trying!” Bill insisted before he let out a frustrated sigh. “Please stop yelling. I’m not Scott.”  
Hillary sadly sighed, upon realizing that she was reacting to Bill the way she would react whenever Scott would pick a fight with her. “I’m sorry,” she sincerely apologized, shaking her head, feeling guilty. “I’m just really stressed out and on edge right now.”  
“I know you are,” Bill assured her. He reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her right shoulder. “And I’m sorry that I’m making things worse for you.”  
“It’s nothing against _you_ , Bill,” Hillary clarified, in a much calmer tone of voice. “We can still date and be friends. I’m just not quite ready for a full fledged moving in together kind of relationship just yet.”  
Bll nodded understandingly. He still wished things were different and that he and Hillary could just jump right back to where they’d been prior to getting divorced but he knew that a lot had happened between then and now. They still had a lot of work to do on their relationship and themselves before they could get back to that place.   
Hillary sighed. “I’m just going to go home and go to bed. I’m done trying to fix everything for one day.”  
  


* * * * * *

Hillary had immediately gotten into the car and driven back to Jessica’s house but Bill had hung back at the diner for a while longer, needing to clear his head. Once he had finished his milkshake and felt somewhat better, he also headed back home.  
“Hey,” Jessica greeted upon his return to the townhouse. She was sitting in the living room, painting her fingernails a pale shade of pink. “Mom went to bed.”  
Bill harshly sighed and nodded as he sat down in a chair across from Jessica.  
“I’m sorry, Bill,” Jessica apologized on her mother’s behalf. “She’s just going through an incredibly rough time right now.”  
“I know,” Bill nodded. “And I’m trying to help her.”  
“I know.” Jessica echoed her stepfather’s sentiments, also nodding as she put the finishing touches on her nails. “I want to help her in any way I can, too. I let her sleep in my bed.”  
“That was nice of you,” Bill remarked. “I’ll take the couch and you take my bed.” He wanted his oldest daughter to get a good night’s rest and he figured that Hillary wanted her space tonight.  
“Okay.” Jessica nodded. “Thanks, Bill. I’m going to head on up to bed, too then. It's been a long day.”  
Bill nodded. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”  
“Night,” Jessica said. She reassuringly squeezed Bill’s shoulder on her way out of the living room before she headed upstairs. She decided to check in on her mother before retreating to Bill’s room for the night.  
“Mom?”  
She opened her bedroom door to find Hillary laying in bed with the lights still on, staring up at the ceiling.  
Hillary looked over, upon seeing Jessica poke her head inside the room. “What is it?”  
“Are you okay?” Jessica checked.  
Hillary nodded but to Jessica’s eyes, she didn’t look okay.  
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” Jessica gently offered.  
Hillary shook her head. “Thank you for offering, honey, but I really just need some alone time tonight. Okay?”  
“Okay.” Jessica nodded understandingly. “Of course.” She softly smiled at her mother. “Well, I hope you sleep well.”  
“Thank you, sweetie.” Hillary weakly smiled at her daughter. “Get some rest yourself. Goodnight.”  
“Goodnight.” Jessica closed the door and went across the hallway to Bill's bedroom, leaving Hillary alone once again.  
She turned off the lights and rolled over, trying to fall asleep but instead she just started quietly crying to herelf yet again. Impulsively, she got out of bed and headed downstairs towards the living room, suddenly having the urge to be with Bill. She found him in the living room, watching some movie on television.  
He looked up at her and realized that she had been crying. “I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Bill offered, hoping that it would calm her down and she would be able to fall asleep.  
“That's okay.” Hillary shook her head. “Can I just sit with you?” She nervously asked, not sure where they stood after their earlier disagreement.  
Bill nodded. “Of course.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said as she curled up on the couch next to Bill. She rested her tired head in Bill’s lap. She was fully aware that she was giving him mixed signals but at the moment as Bill started gently stroking her long blonde hair, she was relishing being so close to him as she was finally able to relax and close her eyes. 

It had been an absolutely horrible day, especially for Hillary, and the day hadn’t ended the way either of them had wanted or expected it to. A few minutes later they had ended up taking some time and space apart from one another after all with Bill sleeping on the living room couch and Hillary going to sleep in Jessica’s room as planned. But as Bill lay on the couch that night, staring up at the living room ceiling, not being able to fall asleep, he realized something. While the evening hadn't exactly gone as planned and he had no idea where his and Hillary’s relationship currently stood. He knew that tomorrow was going to be a better day. It was going to be a brand new day with brand new chances and opportunities. 

To Be Continued... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to punctuate some of the heavier stuff with lighter, fluffier family moments so it wouldn't be an entirely heavy and angsty chapter. Because that's life right? The good stuff happens alongside the bad things. I think it was Olivia who requested more Bill and Chelsea moments a few chapters back. And back then, I knew I was going to write the Bill and Chelsea scenes in this chapter so I hope you enjoyed! :) 
> 
> I have a short work week this week because of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but I am not sure how busy things will be for the next couple of days upon my return to the office after the holiday break. Hopefully things won't be too bad and I'll have free time to write after work. I'll try my best to get the next chapter written and posted by next weekend some time.


	37. Willing To Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, lovelies! I hope you all had a great, happy, and safe New Year's Eve! Finishing From This Moment On, writing this fic, and creating this universe, was definitely a major highlight of 2020 for me in an otherwise mostly sucky year. But even though there will still be challenges, here's to a hopefully brighter and better 2021 for everyone! I'm excited to be starting this year off with a fic update, earlier than I expected to LOL. Enjoy!

Bill sniffed the air as he woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing. He sleepily sat up on the living room couch and looked towards the direction of the kitchen where Hillary was busy working away.   
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Hillary said, smiling softly over at Bill upon realizing that he was awake.  
“You’re up early,” Bill remarked, as he rubbed his tired eyes. He looked over at the clock hanging on the living room wall as he realized that it was just after seven in the morning.  
Hillary gently shrugged to herself as Bill stood up and walked into the kitchen where he poured himself a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot.  
“I made bacon,” Hillary commented.  
“I see that.” Bill smiled as he reached over and grabbed a piece. “Thanks.”  
“Hey, that’s for the kids,” Hillary teased with a small smirk as Bill took a bite.  
“Well, it’s good,” Bill softly chuckled. He hesitated for a moment, not sure where his and Hillary’s relationship stood before he decided to go with his gut. He leaned over and softly pecked Hillary’s cheek, causing her to smile softly to herself.  
She suddenly yawned and sighed to herself. “I’m so tired. Cassandra was up _all_ night _.”_ _  
_Bill frowned before he took a sip of his coffee. “She was?”  
Hillary nodded and sighed again. She took a sip of her own cup of coffee. “She was pretty fussy last night.”  
“I’m sorry, Hillary,” Bill said, still with a frown, feeling bad that his ex-wife probably hadn’t gotten much sleep.  
Hillary shrugged. “It’s not your problem. I’m going to go check on her. Can you finish making breakfast?”  
Bill nodded as he took the eggs out of the refrigerator. “Of course.”  
“Thanks. Be right back.”  
  


Jessica, Hayley, and Chelsea were already awake for the day. When Hillary went to go check on Cassandra, she found the three of them playing with Sophia in Jessica’s bedroom.  
“You guys are up early,” Hillary remarked, smiling softly at her daughters and granddaughter.  
Chelsea nodded and softly smiled. “Sophie woke us up. But she’s cute so it’s okay. We’ll give her a pass this time.”  
Jessica and Chelsea chuckled at Chelsea’s comment.  
“Cassandra’s sound asleep still,” Jessica informed her mother.  
“Oh, good,” Hillary replied as she made her way over to Cassandra’s bassinet where Cassandra was sleeping soundly just as Jessica had said she was. “Your dad’s just finishing breakfast for us.”  
Jessica nodded. “Did you sleep okay, Mom?”  
“Not really,” Hillary admitted with a sigh. “Cassandra was up all night.”  
Jessica frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry, Mom.”  
“It’s okay,” Hillary replied, hashly sighing. “I probably wouldn’t have slept anyways.”  
Jessica weakly smiled and nodded as she remembered those days from when Sophia was still a newborn.  
“Anyways, come downstairs and have breakfast,” Hillary told her daughters.  
Chelsea and Jessica nodded.  
“Be right there,” Jessica said.  
  


* * * * * *

“I need a new outfit for the funeral,” Hillary suddenly remarked as the family sat down around the dining room table for breakfast a few minutes later. She had a closet full of clothes back at her house but she didn’t want to wear any of them to Scott’s funeral. Those clothes weren’t _her_. They represented the woman she had been when she had been with Scott but that woman wasn’t the real her.  
“I’ll go shopping with you,” Jessica eagerly offered. “I need an outfit, too.”  
“Me, too,” Chelsea chimed in before she took a sip of her coffee.  
Hillary nodded. “We can go today if you girls want?”  
“Sure.” Jessica smiled encouragingly at her mother.  
Chelsea nodded in agreement.  
They finished up their breakfast as a family and Hillary said, “I guess I’ll go get dressed then.”  
Jessica and Chelsea nodded, planning to do the same so that the three of them could all head to the mall together.  
  


Hillary went upstairs and headed into Bill’s room, where her belongings were. She sadly sighed to herself as she sat down on the bed, finally having a moment alone. She was so exhausted that after she had gotten dressed, brushed her teeth, and made herself look presentable, she lay back on the bed and buried her face in the sheets, inhaling Bill’s scent. Feeling comforted by Bill’s familiar smell, she snuggled into the pillows and closed her eyes. Managing to relax for what felt like the first time in days, she quickly drifted off to sleep.  
  


Wondering what was taking her so long and why Hillary hadn’t come back downstairs yet, Bill went to go check on her a while later. When he found her sound asleep in his bed, he smiled softly to himself, glad that she was finally getting some sleep. Being careful not to wake her, he crawled into bed with her and pulled the blankets up around the both of them. He gently stroked her hair and stared down at her, thinking how peaceful and serene she looked while she was asleep.  
“I love you,” he softly whispered, moreso to himself than to Hillary.  
Hillary slightly stirred in her sleep, cuddling up to Bill before she suddenly opened her eyes a few minutes later.  
“Oh, hi,” she whispered, upon realizing that Bill was in the bed with her. “The sheets smelled like you,” she explained, smiling sheepishly as she sleepily sat up.  
Bill smiled tenderly at her and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You know you could have the real thing?” He lightly chuckled. “I’m right here.”  
“Yeah, I know.” Hillary gently shrugged before she harshly sighed and a guilty look crossed her face. “I want the real thing, Bill. I _do_ . I promise. My mind is just all messed up.”  
Bill sighed to himself and nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured quietly.  
“I promise,” Hillary began. “I promise, eventually that we’ll be together again. I just need time, okay? If you can just give me a few weeks to clear my head, then I’ll be ready.”  
Bill nodded understandingly before he softly stroked her cheek and started playing with her hair again. “Take all the time you need, Hillary. I’d wait a _lifetime_ for you.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said in a quiet voice with her feelings of gratitude for Bill's patience evident on her face.  
“Jess and Chelsea are ready and waiting for you downstairs,” Bill informed her as she leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around her ex-husband.  
Hillary softly nodded and let go of Bill after giving him a gentle squeeze. “Right. Okay.” She pulled back the covers and started crawling out of bed. “And you don’t mind watching the other girls?” She checked. She bit her lip nervously, knowing that she had left him to watch Cassandra and the younger kids _a lot_ over the past few days.  
“Of course not,” Bill assured her. “I’m happy to. You know that.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary said gratefully, as she stared over at Bill softly. She leaned over and gently pecked his cheek causing Bill to gently smile at her in return.  
“I love you, Billy,” Hillary admitted, still nervously biting her lip.  
Bill softly chuckled. “And I love you, Hilly.”  
Hillary smiled softly over at him one more time before they went back downstairs. 

“Ready to go?” Hillary asked her two eldest daughters who were watching TV in the living room while they waited for Hillary to wake up from her nap.  
Jessica and Chelsea both nodded.  
Hillary nodded in return and found her purse. “Let’s hit the road then.”  
  


* * * * *

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted,” Hillary groaned as she started driving to the closest mall.  
“You took a nap,” Chelsea pointed out.  
Hillary shrugged. Her facial expression suddenly turned deadly serious as she stopped at a red light. “Girls, please promise me that you’ll marry nice, decent men one day.” She didn’t want her daughters to _ever_ have to go through what she had been, and was still, going through.  
“Of course, Mom,” Jessica said from her position in the front passenger seat, to assuage her mother’s fears.   
“No, I mean it,” Hillary replied. “Find someone _really_ good for you. Someone nice and kind, and funny, and smart.” _Like_ _Bill_ she thought to herself but didn’t say out loud.  
“Of course, Mom.” Chelsea echoed her sister’s earlier words as the two sisters made eye contact in the rearview mirror, both knowing that each of them currently had blossoming romances going on with their respective boyfriends, that Hillary didn’t know about just yet.  
“You haven’t met anyone at Yale?” Hillary asked Jessica as the light turned green.  
Jessica shrugged. In fact she _had_ met somebody but she needed a cover story. “I really just go to class, go to the library, and come home or go to work after.” She shrugged again. “I like spending my free time with Sophie but I feel like I don’t spend _enough_ time with her. I’m either working, or in class, or doing schoolwork.” She quietly groaned to herself as she reached over and turned the car radio on. “I should have waited a few more years for grad school.” And now she had a budding relationship to throw into the mix. She sighed to herself.  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Hillary assured Jessica. “Now you’re getting it out of the way. I’m so proud of you, honey.”  
“Thanks,” Jessica softly smiled over at her mother before she sighed again. “I was thinking of helping out at the dance studio by doing administrative work and working at the front desk but teaching two classes a week on top of school and taking care of Sophie is stressful enough. I already have a lot to juggle.”  
Hillary weakly smiled over at her daughter, remembering those days when Jessica was younger, before she had met Bill. “It’ll be okay. You’ll manage.”  
“Will it?” Jessica asked, to nobody in particular. She didn’t look convinced. “I barely have enough money for groceries, Mom. Bill’s been helping me out the past couple of weeks.”  
“Well, I can help you, too,” Hillary offered.  
“I shouldn’t need help,” Jessica retorted with a frustrated sigh. “I just suck!”  
“Oh, honey.” Hillary frowned, hating that her daughter felt that way and knowing that her words were probably mostly to blame for why Jessica felt that way. “I'm sorry about all of that stuff I said before. I let Scott get into my head. But you're an _amazing_ mother and it's okay to ask for help if you need it.”  
“Well, you didn’t need help before you met Bill,” Jessica pointed out.  
“Because I was finished with school and had a full-time job,” Hillary pointed out in return.  
Jessica shrugged. “Well, it was still hard I bet.”  
“It was,” Hillary admitted, nodding. “But at least our life was stable.”  
“Will it ever get easier?” Jessica quietly asked with a worried look on her face.   
“I think it’s natural to go through phases,” Hillary explained. “Sometimes it's easier than it is at other times. I want to be there for you though.”  
Jessica nodded and worriedly sighed.   
“It’ll get easier when Sophia is a little bit older and is more self-sufficient,” Hillary explained.  
Jessica nodded in agreement, knowing that her mother was right. “The owner of the dance studio is a mother herself so she’s understanding. She said that I could bring Sophie to work with me sometimes if I needed to.”  
Hillary nodded. “Well, that’s good. And I can look after her, too.”  
“Me, too, Jess,” Chelsea piped in. “Any time. I love watching her.”  
“Thank you, guys,” Jessica said gratefully before she turned towards her mother with a guilty expression on her face. “You’re already so busy with Hayley and Cassandra though.”  
“It’s fine,” Hillary waved her off. “I would love to spend more time with her. _And_ it would give me an excuse to see you every day.” She smirked over at Jessica as she stopped at another red light.  
Jessica smiled softly to herself. “That _does_ sound nice. And I would pay you, of course.”  
Hillary waved her off again. “There’s no need for that. Don’t even suggest it.”  
“Well, I don’t want to take advantage,” Jessica argued, feeling almost guilty.  
“Well, you can do that to me,” Hillary replied with a smirk as the light changed to green and they were almost at the mall.  
“No.” Jessica shook her head.  
“Yes!” Hillary insisted. “That's what grandmothers are for."   
Jessica sighed. “What if you guys move to Upstate New York like you’re considering? I think I want to stay in Connecticut for a bit, even after I finish school.”  
“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Hillary simply answered, not wanting them to get ahead of themselves.  
Jessica just nodded as they arrived at the mall and Hillary found a parking spot.  
  


They went inside and headed to the nearest department store, going towards the women’s clothing section.  
“I have _no idea_ what to wear,” Hillary admitted as they approached a rack of dresses.  
“Just try on a few things and see what you like, Mom,” Chelsea simply suggested.  
Hillary nodded as she started going through the dress options. “I don’t want to be too flashy or anything.”  
Jessica and Chelsea nodded understandingly.  
“What the hell do women wear to their husband’s funerals?” Hillary asked with a sad and frustrated sigh.  
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jessica whispered quietly, biting her lip.  
“Me, too, kitty cat,” Hillary sadly sighed to herself as she found a simple black shift dress in her size that she thought might be okay to wear to the funeral. Chelsea and Jessica helped her in finding a few more options and she headed towards the fitting room to try everything on.  
  


* * * * * 

"I’ll tell Mom about Marc!” Jessica hissed as the two sisters bickered about something inane while their mom was in the dressing room.  
“Well, I’ll tell Mom about James!” Chelsea retorted in return.  
“Don’t you dare!” Jessica threatened, raising her right index finger in a playful yet threatening manner just as Hillary came out of the fitting room, wearing one of the dresses she was considering.  
The two sisters forced a smile so that their mother wouldn’t know that they had been arguing, not wanting to stress her out any more than she already was.  
“That looks nice on you, Mom,” Jessica complimented as Hillary stared at herself and examined the way the dress fit in the department store’s full length mirror.  
“Really?” Hillary asked, turning around and looking over her shoulder to see how the dress looked on her from behind. “It’s not too...busty?”  
Hillary was definitely more...voluptuous than usual due to the fact that she was breastfeeding and she was feeling somewhat self-conscious about that fact. Being Scott’s widow, she knew all eyes would be on her at the funeral.  
“You look great, Mom,” Chelsea assured her mother with a soft smile. “Besides, I think everybody at the funeral will know that you _just_ had a baby.”  
The three women all softly chuckled, knowing that the youngest of the three was right.  
“Thanks, girls,” Hillary said, smiling at her daughters, feeling grateful for their support.  
She went into the fitting room to try one of her other options on while Jessica and Chelsea went in search of dresses for themselves.  
While they waited for their mother to finish up in the fitting room, the girls got sidetracked in the shoe department. Jessica picked up a pair of black stiletto pumps and examined them, trying to decide if she wanted to try them on or not.  
“Why do you need to wear heels, Jess?” Chelsea asked as she was looking at a pair of nude pumps for herself. “You’re already like six feet tall,” she teased.  
“Because I like them, that’s why,” Jessica retorted, feeling slightly annoyed with her younger sister.  
“You like them or _James_ does?” Chelsea teased with a smirk.  
“Shut up!” Jessica admonished, blushing slightly. “We’re just friends!”  
“Sure,” Chelsea replied in a high sing-song voice with an unconvinced look on her face, knowing that Jessica and James had already hung out together, just the two of them, quite a few times already.  
“We’ve just had coffee together a couple of times, Chels. That’s it. Truly,” Jessica insisted.  
“Whatever you say,” Chelsea teased as their mother walked back over to them, the dress she had decided on in her hands.  
Once Chelsea and Jessica had found dresses and new shoes for themselves, Hillary took everything to the cash and paid.  
“Thanks, Mom. We could have paid for our own stuff,” Jessica pointed out.  
“It’s fine,” Hillary insisted with a weak smile. She waved Jessica off. “My treat.”  
“Thanks, Mom,” Chelsea said.  
“No problem,” Hillary assured her daughters. “You girls are worth it.”  
Jessica softly smiled. “Are you guys hungry? We could go grab an early lunch? My treat.”  
“That sounds good.” Hillary nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a smoothie actually.”  
Chelsea nodded in agreement and the three women walked over to the cafe that was across from the department store.  
“You should have a bagel, too,” Jessica said to Hillary. “You're too skinny, mom.”  
“I just want a smoothie,” Hillary insisted. “You girls get something to eat if you’re hungry though.”  
“No. Eat something, Mom,” Jessica insisted.  
“I really just want a smoothie,” Hillary repeated. “Strawberry banana, please.”  
“Fine,” Jessica said with a sigh before she ordered and paid for everybody’s food and drinks. A few minutes later the three women took their food over to a nearby table and sat down.  
“I love these,” Hillary remarked as she slowly sipped her smoothie. She smiled softly at Jessica and Chelsea. “Not as much as I love my daughters, though.”  
Jessica softly chuckled. “Thanks, Mom. We love you, too.”  
“When’s the funeral going to be?” Chelsea asked before she took a bite of her sandwich.  
“The day after tomorrow,” Hillary answered with a sad expression on her face. “At one o’clock.”  
Jessica and Chelsea nodded.  
“And are you going to ask Bill to come?” Jessica asked curiously.  
“Hillary sighed and shrugged. “I guess so.”  
“You should, Mom,” Chelsea insisted. “It would be good for you to have him there for moral support.”  
“I want him there,” Hillary argued. “Of course I do. But how would that look?” She frowned and looked down before she took another sip of her smoothie to distract herself.  
“You two don’t have to sit together,” Jessica pointed out. “He can sit in the back row if you're worried what people will think.” She shrugged slightly. “But he should come with you. Just talk to him about it. Okay?”  
Hillary sighed and nodded, knowing that her daughters were right. She needed Bill there.

They finished their lunch and hit up a few more stores in the mall before they decided they better get home to relieve Bill of his child care duties.  
“I bet the girls are driving Bill crazy,” Jessica remarked with a smirk as they reached the car.  
“Oh, are you kidding me? He loves it,” Hillary replied with a soft smile as she unlocked the car. “They’re all so sweet.” She paused for a moment before she added, “For the most part.” She softly chuckled to herself.  
Jessica smiled to herself, knowing that even when during the moments when Sophia was being a little terror, she absolutely loved that little girl more than anything or anyone else in the entire world. Jessica nodded as the three women all got into the car and buckled their seatbelts. “They _are_ sweet.”  
“And Hayley is finally getting over her jealousy issues. Thank God,” Hillary remarked as she started pulling out of her parking spot. She quietly chuckled to herself and glanced over at Jessica out of the corner of her eye. “It took you way longer. You were pretty jealous of Chelsea for the first few weeks she was home.”  
“I was?” Jessica asked with a laugh as Chelsea smirked in the backseat.  
“Oh, yeah,” Hillary replied, still chuckling. “You were used to having mine and Bill’s undivided attention. And trust me. It was _a lot_ of attention. You were _so_ spoiled. Bill was completely enamored with you.”  
Jessica smirked as Chelsea chuckled in the backseat. “But I was adorable,” Jessica teased in a sing-song voice.  
“You were,” Hillary agreed, softly smiling to herself. “We were so happy together. You and Bill were absolutely obsessed with each other.”  
“I’m so happy that he wanted to be my dad,” Jessica said quietly as she stared out the window.  
Hillary nodded as a nostalgic expression came over her face. “I was really happy about that, too,” she replied softly. She reached over while they were stopped at a red light and gently squeezed Jessica’s shoulder. “He was amazing with you from the get go.”  
“You know, he’ll be amazing with Cassandra, too, if you’ll let him,” Chelsea said softly.  
Hillary sadly sighed. “I’ve just been hurt so many times before, girls.”  
“He won’t hurt you again, Mom,” Jessica replied. “He hates that he hurt you the last time and drove you into Scott’s arms.”  
“I don’t know,” Hillary said with a worried expression on her face. “No one can guarantee that.” 

* * * * *

It was lunch time for everyone when Hillary, Jessica, and Chelsea arrived back at the townhouse a few minutes later.  
“Mama!” Sophia squealed excitedly as they entered the living room/dining room area. She started eagerly wriggling around in her high chair and reaching her arms out towards Jessica.  
“Finish your lunch first and then Mama will hold you,” Jessica said, smiling softly at her daughter, also happy to be reunited with her.  
“Hey, sweet girl,” Hillary said, as Hayley was also obviously happy to see Hillary. She went over to Cassandra’s bassinet to check on her. “How were they?” She asked Bill.  
“Oh, they were great,” Bill informed Hillary in between bites of the sandwich he had made for himself. “I think Cassandra’s getting hungry though.”  
Hillary nodded and by the way her breasts felt, she knew that Bill was probably right. “I’ll feed you, baby girl!” She cooed softly as she gently scooped her daughter up and carried the baby over to the couch.  
She started feeding Cassandra as the rest of the family finished up their lunch and retreated to their separate corners of the house. Jessica went upstairs to go spend some time with Sophia and put her down for a nap while Chelsea took Hayley outside to play in the backyard, wanting to soak up the remaining days of summer while they still could.  
Bill sat down beside Hillary on the couch while she finished feeding Cassandra.  
“Um, so do you want to come to the funeral on Thursday?” Hillary asked him, nervously clearing her throat. “For moral support?” She was quick to add.  
“Oh,” Bill nodded and shrugged. “Of course. Sure.”  
Hillary nodded knowing that she was putting Bill into an awkward situation but she was incredibly thankful for his love and support. “Thank you.” She sadly sighed and stared down at Cassandra who was still eagerly eating.  
“It’s going to be okay, Hillary,” Bill said softly as he reassuringly rubbed her back.  
“I hope so,” Hillary nodded, sighing again. “I just want the kids to be happy. That’s all I want. I don’t want this crazy life for them.”  
“It won’t always be so crazy,” Bill reminded her.  
“I hope not,” Hillary replied as Cassandra finished eating. “I want a normal life for Hayley and Cassandra especially.”  
“And they’ll get one,” Bill said in a kind and comforting tone. He softly stared at Hillary as she grabbed a few tissues from the box on the end table and started cleaning herself up. “I promise you.” He reached his arms out for the baby so that Hillary could properly tidy herself up.  
“If you say so,” Hillary replied with a sad sigh as she passed Cassandra over to Bill.  
“I do.” Bill nodded as he gently cradled Cassandra. “I’ll make sure of it.”  
Hillary softly looked over at him and nodded. “Thank you.”  
Bill nodded himself as he got up and put a sleepy Cassandra back into her bassinet. As he came and sat back down with Hillary on the couch, she scooched over and wrapped her arms tightly around him.  
“You’ll be okay,” Bill reassuringly murmured into Hillary’s hair as he wrapped his arms around Hillary in return, squeezing her tightly.  
Hillary just nodded again as she continued hugging him.  
“You’re so warm,” Bill murmured, feeling comforted by her embrace.   
“I always am,” Hillary said, nuzzling her head into the crook of Bill’s neck.  
“Yeah,” Bill nodded and softly smiled. “My little blonde furnace.”  
Hillary managed to softly chuckle to herself as she squeezed Bill even tighter.  
Bill smiled to himself before he gently pecked her cheek, wishing he could do more but also respecting her wishes to give her some space.  
“Thank you for everything,” Hillary whispered.  
“Hey,” Bill whispered in return. “Don’t thank me.”  
“And why not?” Hillary asked.  
“Because I would do _anything_ for you,” Bill replied, pulling away from their embrace to be able to stare into Hillary’s eyes.  
Hillary looked at him softly in return and smiled gratefully, nearly tearing up, feeling overwhelmed by Bill's unconditional support and affection.  
“I want to be here for you,” Bill assured Hillary. “I want to be Cassandra’s father.”  
Hillary sighed and suddenly frowned. She was still afraid to let Bill back into her life again. “We’ll see.”  
Bill frowned slightly as well but he tried to hide it. “Okay.” He sadly sighed.  
“I just need time, Bill,” Hillary explained, sighing in frustration. “I hope you understand.”  
“I do. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything,” Bill replied, feeling guilty and worried that he might have scared Hillary off with his declaration.  
“It’s okay, Bill,” Hillary reassured him, gently rubbing his back.  
Bill nodded before he leaned over and softly kissed the top of Hillary’s head. He had been truthful when he had told Hillary earlier that day that he would wait a lifetime for her. Because he would. He was willing to do that. For Hillary. Because she was someone who was worth waiting for. 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Bill won't have to wait a _lifetime_ for Hillary haha but they're still not _quite_ ready to get back together just yet. Apologies for the slow burn lol. 
> 
> I threw in some mother-daughter moments in this chapter and next chapter will be Scott's funeral where Hillary will have some nice encounters and reunions with people from her past, as well as some not-so-nice encounters with Scott's family members. And then hopefully after that, the Billary train will be going full steam ahead lol. Thank you SO much for your kudos, comments, and continued support of this story! Your comments make my day every time.
> 
> Hope everybody enjoys the rest of their weekend and has a fabulous start to 2021! Until next time :)


	38. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Hillary stared at her reflection in her enormous walk-in closet’s full length mirror and took a deep breath, not sure if she was ready to officially bury Scott and say her final goodbyes to her husband.    
“Hey, Mom.”    
She suddenly saw Jessica coming up behind her.    
“Hey,” Hillary quietly said as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.    
“You look nice,” Jessica complimented as she reassuringly stood behind her mother and squeezed Hillary’s shoulder.    
“Thank you.” Hillary managed to work up a weak smile. “So do you.”    
Jessica weakly smiled at her mother in return as they both stared at themselves in the mirror. “Are you ready to go? The car is here.”    
Hillary sighed and grabbed her purse from where she had left it, on top of the closet’s dresser. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”    
“It’ll be okay,” Jessica said in a reassuring tone. “It’ll be over before you know it.”   
Hillary nodded as Jessica gave her a comforting hug. They went downstairs to the living room of Hillary’s house where everybody else was waiting.    
“Is everyone ready?” Jessica asked.    
They all nodded and started filing out of the house and out to the driveway, where the limousine they had ordered to take them to the funeral home, was waiting.    
“I’m not ready,” Hillary admitted in a shaky voice as everybody started getting into the car.    
“Is there anything I can do?” Bill asked softly, as he reassuringly squeezed her hand, taking a seat in the car next to her.    
“No,” Hillary shook her head and teared up. “I just don’t think I can do this.”    
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Jessica said in a soothing tone. She reached over and gently rubbed her mother’s back.    
Hillary managed to nod as Bill passed her a tissue. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as the limo made the drive towards the funeral home.    
  


* * * * *

Upon arriving at the funeral home, Hillary held Cassandra protectively against her chest and stared straight ahead as she walked inside the chapel where the funeral service was being held. Bill had originally been planning to sit in the back, to not draw attention to the fact that he was there but he decided that he didn’t care what anybody thought. Let them gossip all they want, he was going to sit right next to Hillary and comfort her.    
He suddenly noticed Hillary cast her eyes downwards as a middle-aged man and woman who looked alike and who also looked familiar, entered the chapel together. He realized that they must be Scott’s siblings, and he figured it must be Scott’s older brother and one of Scott’s sisters. They not only looked sad over the loss of their brother but they had angry expressions on their faces as well.    
“I guess I better go say hello to them,” Hillary realized before she nervously swallowed, not knowing how this encounter was going to go.    
Jessica nodded. “Take Cassandra with you.”    
Hillary nodded as she got up from her seat with Cassandra still in her arms. She went over to where Scott’s brother and sister were standing and stood across from them in the doorway to the chapel. She hadn’t seen them since her and Scott’s wedding a little over a year prior, and she didn’t know them very well to begin with. And obviously Scott’s funeral wasn’t the place she ever imagined reuniting with them.   
“Hi,” She nervously said as the two of them angrily glared at her.    
“Hello,” Scott’s brother, Eric, curtly said.    
“Um, this is your niece, Cassandra,” Hillary awkwardly said, hoping that the ice would be broken slightly by them meeting their new niece.   
“Can I hold her?” Eric asked, nervously clearing his throat.    
“Of course,” Hillary replied, relieved that they wanted to meet and get to know their niece. “And um, I’m really sorry about what’s happened.” She sadly shook her head and sighed. “This is all my fault.”   
“Yeah. It is,” Scott’s sister, Barbara, shortly said.    
“Barbara, don’t,” Eric tried. Apparently holding Cassandra had melted away some of his previously built up anger.    
“I’m so sorry,” Hillary repeated, staring straight into Barbara’s eyes. “I know what you’re going through right now must be horrible.” She knew her emotions had been all over the place the past couple of days so she could only imagine what it would feel like to lose a brother. “He was a great guy,” She added. It may not be true but she needed to say it for Eric and Barbara’s sakes.    
“Please don’t pretend that you care,” Barbara snarled. “ _ You’re _ the reason he’s dead.”    
“I’m not pretending,” Hillary insisted. “I loved Scott and I tried to help him the best I could.” Her voice cracked as she teared up. “And I’m so sorry that I failed.”   
“You were leaving him and he loved you.  _ Of course _ he did this,” Barbara retorted sharply.    
“I just...I just couldn’t be with him anymore,” Hillary tried explaining.    
“My brother is dead because you’re a selfish bitch!” Barbara snarled in return. “Please don’t try to explain yourself. I don’t want to hear your sorry excuses.”   
“Barbara, stop it,” Eric tried. “You know that Scott had a drug problem.”    
“I promise you, I didn’t want this to happen,” Hillary sincerely said, staring softly into the eyes of Scott’s siblings. “I did everything I could to stop him from leaving my house that night,” she choked out.    
“You were going to let him see his daughter every other weekend.” Barbara rolled her eyes in disgust. “Do you know how badly he’d wanted to be a father for so long?”    
“No, I told him that he could see Cassandra whenever he wanted,” Hillary corrected. “I just couldn’t be with him anymore. I know that you don’t understand where I’m coming from, and that’s fine, but believe me when I say that I still wanted him to be apart of Cassandra’s life if he managed to get clean.”   
“Okay well I hope you’re happy that this happened since you wanted to be rid of him so badly!” Barbara angrily rolled her eyes again.    
Hillary sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek. She turned towards Eric. “Give me my daughter,” She demanded.    
“I’m sorry, Hillary,” Eric apologized as he passed Cassandra back to Hillary. “She’s just grieving. They were close.”    
“Yeah, and so am I!” Hillary sharply said before she cuddled Cassandra against her chest and stormed away, back to her seat.    
Bill spotted her walking back and realized she looked upset. He rushed over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist comfortingly.    
“They hate me,” Hillary sobbed out, feeling guilty once again for Scott’s death. “And they blame me. Heck, I blame myself, too.”   
“Shhh, don’t think that way,” Bill soothed as he led Hillary back over to their seats. “You did everything you could for him, Hillary.”   
Hillary shook her head.    
“Yes,” Bill firmly said as he rested a hand comfortingly on her right shoulder. “Yes, you did.”   
Hillary teared up again as she stared down at Cassandra who was staring up at her mother with her big blue eyes, oblivious to everything going on around her. “This isn’t right,” Hillary quietly cried. “He’s dead because of me.”    
“Hillary,” Bill started as he comfortingly rubbed Hillary's back. “That is not true.”   
“I should have stopped him from leaving. I should have called a cab for him,” Hillary argued. “I should have just done what he wanted.” She knew it was just her grief and guilt making her say these things but she didn’t care. She closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks and the funeral service hadn’t even begun yet. “Now Cassandra’s never going to get to know him.”   
“I’m so sorry, Hillary,” Bill quietly whispered as he reached down and gently squeezed Hillary’s left thigh.   
Hillary sniffled as she gently passed Cassandra over to Chelsea. People were trickling into the chapel and the funeral service was about to begin any minute. “Yeah,” Hillary nodded and looked down at her lap. “I’m sorry, too.”    
  


* * * * * *

Thankfully with Bill, Jessica and Chelsea’s support, Hillary had managed to make it through the service, mostly in one piece.    
“You did such a great job,” Bill quietly said as the service ended and Scott’s family and friends began filing out of the chapel to head over to the nearby cemetery for the burial.    
Hillary didn’t say anything in return but she did squeeze Bill’s hand.    
Jessica reassuringly squeezed Hillary’s other hand before she scooped up Sophia and stood up. After Cassandra was settled in her car seat, the rest of the family also stood up, and started making the short walk towards the cemetery for the burial.   
“I didn’t see Betsy or Melissa,” Bill commented out loud, frowning to himself.    
“They were sitting in the back,” Jessica supplied. In fact, she had been the one who had picked them up from the airport the night before and driven them to their hotel after Betsy had reached out to her.    
“Well, that was nice of them to come,” Bill remarked. He was glad that Hillary’s friends were being supportive despite the cracks in their friendship.    
Hillary nodded in agreement before she sadly sighed. “They haven’t spoken to me yet though.”   
“They will,” Jessica said in an encouraging tone, with a sly and sneaky smile. “They want to make things right with you.”    
Hillary just shrugged and sighed, not feeling so sure about that. But as they got closer to Scott’s burial plot, Hillary noticed her two best friends, standing off to the side, away from the crowd of Scott’s co-workers, friends and family members who had gathered.    
“I’m going to go say hello to them,” Jessica told her parents but Betsy was already rushing over to Hillary and her family before Jessica had a chance to go say hello to her first.    
“Hillary!” Betsy threw her arms around Hillary, a mixture of emotions playing out across her face. “Hillary, I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. I haven’t been a good friend.”    
“No, no, it wasn’t you,” Hillary assured Betsy, flinging her arms around her best friend in return. “I let all of this, Scott, the money, everything, go to my head.”    
“Well, I’m really sorry for everything that has happened,” Betsy sincerely said, staring softly into her best’s friends eyes as they pulled away from their embrace.    
Bill and the rest of the family stepped away to give Hillary a moment with her friends.    
“And, I’m sorry, too,” Melissa chimed in, walking over to Hillary and Betsy. She stared tenderly into Hillary’s eyes, feeling sorry both for Scott’s loss but also for what had happened to her and Hillary’s friendship and the awful things she had said to her best friend, the last time they had spoken face to face.    
“Me, too,” Hillary said quietly as she nodded.    
“I’ve really missed you,” Melissa said, pulling Hillary in for a hug. “Things haven’t been the same without you in my life.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I’ve missed the both of you  _ so much _ . You have no idea.”   
After the three of them had made plans to grab lunch and catch up after the funeral, while Betsy and Melissa were still in town, everyone started making their way closer to Scott’s burial plot, realizing that the burial was about to begin.   
Bill leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s cheek as they walked.    
“Stop,” Hillary said. “No PDA. Remember?”   
Bill sighed, wishing that he didn’t have to pretend that him and Hillary were just friends. “Right. Sorry.”    
  


* * * * * *   
  


Finally the burial was over and now Hillary just had to make it through the reception before she could go home and be with her family. But as she drank lukewarm, watered down flavourless coffee and Scott’s friends and family members paid their respects to her, she was feeling increasingly caged in. Things were starting to feel overwhelming and she just wanted to go home and be alone with Bill and her girls.    
“How are you doing?” Betsy came over to her and put a reassuring hand on Hillary’s shoulder.    
“I need to get out of here,” Hillary admitted and by the look on Hillary’s face, Betsy could tell that things were getting to be too much for her friend. Betsy could guess that it had been a long and overwhelming day for her friend.   
She nodded, deciding she would think of a plan to get Hillary out of there as soon as possible. “Let’s get you home.”    
  


* * * * * *

Luckily having a newborn and a toddler, provided a great excuse for everything. And since Cassandra and Hayley  _ were _ genuinely becoming crabby, everyone had been understanding when Hillary and her family decided to make an early exit from the reception. Wanting to reconnect with her friends, Hillary had invited Betsy and Melissa over to her house so that they could spend time together in the comfort and privacy of Hillary’s own home, and not out in public at some restaurant. Plus, there was plenty of room in the limo Hillary had rented for Betsy and Melissa to join them on their car ride home back to Hillary’s place.    
“It was a really nice service,” Bill remarked once everybody was settled in the car. In fact, it had probably been a nicer funeral than an evil monster like Scott deserved but Bill knew better than to voice that thought out loud.    
Hillary gently nodded and sighed. “Yeah, it was.” She looked down and started playing with a loose thread on the hem of her skirt. “I hope it was what he would have wanted.”    
Bill reached over and reassuringly squeezed Hillary’s right knee. He softly smiled at her, to convey his support. Hillary reached over and grabbed Bill’s hand in return. She managed to work up a smile before she sadly sighed and stared down at Cassandra who was napping in her car seat.    
“I’m so sorry, my sweet girl,” she quietly whispered, as she softly rubbed the baby’s cheek with her thumb. She leaned against Bill, resting her head against his shoulder, feeling absolutely physically and mentatlly exhausted.    
Bill gently stroked her hair, realizing how drained she looked. “You were so strong today, Hill,” he whispered into her hair.    
Hillary scoffed. “Not really.” She ironically chuckled. “I’m a mess.” As she swiped at a tear that had escaped her eye, she was grateful that she had had the hindsight to wear waterproof mascara that day.    
“Well you’re a gorgeous mess,” Bill complimented, a soft and reassuring smile on his face.    
Hillary stared at him softly in return, prompting him to lean down and kiss the top of Hillary’s head.    
“Thank you for being so supportive,” Hillary softly said. She knew it couldn’t be easy for Bill either, given the position he was in.    
“You’re very welcome,” Bill replied as they finally arrived back at home and the car dropped them off outside Hillary’s front gate.    
  


* * * * *

“Wow, this house is incredible!” Betsy remarked as everybody came inside. She was looking around the front foyer in awe.    
“Yeah. Damn girl. How many bedrooms does this place have?” Melissa teased with her trademark sense of humor.    
Hillary shrugged nonchalantly, used to the house by now. “I’m selling it.”    
“But why?” Melissa asked, looking genuinely worried and concerned. “This place is like a castle!”    
Hillary shrugged again as she took her black high heels off, happy to be rid of them. “Too many bad memories. I need a fresh start.”    
“Yeah, that makes sense, Hill.” Betsy nodded, giving her friend a reassuring smile.    
Bill, Jessica, and Chelsea went upstairs with the younger kids in order to give Hillary and her friends some girl time.    
“Um, do you guys want something to drink?” Hillary politely but nervously offered as the three of them walked into the living room.    
“A glass of water would be fine,” Betsy replied and Melissa nodded in agreement. “Thanks, Hill.”    
Hillary nodded and went into the kitchen to get waters for everyone.    
Having changed out of their funeral clothes and into something more comfortable in record time, Jessica came into the living room with Sophia on their way to the kitchen for a snack while Hillary was still in the kitchen getting the drinks.    
“Oh, she’s precious, Jess!” Betsy complimented, not having seen Sophia since she was about four or five months old at Hillary’s mother’s funeral.   
Sophia was happily babbling away, in her mother’s arms, happy to be back at home.    
“Thank you, Betsy.” Jessica smiled at her mother’s best friend before her and Sophia disappeared towards the kitchen while Hillary came back with three glasses of water.   
“Cassandra’s precious, too,” Melissa complimented as Hillary passed her her water.    
“Thank you.” Hillary softy smiled as she sat down in an armchair across from where Betsy and Melissa were sitting on the couch. She sadly sighed and weakly smiled. “She looks just like Scott to me.”    
“I see a lot of you in her though,” Betsy commented. “May I hold her?”    
Hillary nodded and softly smiled. “Of course.” She scooped her daughter up out of her bassinet and passed her over to her best friend.    
“Hi there!” Betsy tenderly smiled down at the infant in her arms. “I’m your Aunt Betsy.”    
“She’s pretty friendly,” Hillary remarked, smiling as she watched her best friend holding her baby girl. “She loves everyone.”    
The three women eased their way into making small talk and pretty soon they were chatting and catching up like no time at all had passed since the last time they’d spoken. Hillary had to admit, it did feel nice to smile and laugh with her two best friends again. It was exactly the release she had needed after such a dark and difficult day.    
“So where are you thinking of moving?” Betsy asked curiously, taking a sip of her water. “Are you staying in Connecticut or moving somewhere else? Are you thinking of Arkansas or New York? Or back to Chicago?”  Betsy smiled slyly at the idea of that.    
Hillary chuckled. “As much as I would  _ love _ to live in Chicago with you guys, I think we want to go back to Upstate New York and start over. Jess and Chelsea have their own lives now but it would be a nice place to raise Hayley and Cassandra I think.”   
Betsy and Melissa nodded understandingly just as Cassandra started crying.    
“I think she’s hungry,” Hillary said, reaching her arms out to Betsy for the baby. “Let me go feed her. Be right back.”    
  


* * * * * *

“All good now?” Melissa asked, looking up as Hillary came back into the room with Cassandra in her arms a while later.    
Hillary nodded and weakly smiled as she sat back down. “Yep, she’s been fed and burped and had a diaper change.” She stared down at Cassandra. “Isn’t that better, baby girl?” She cooed, smiling down at her daughter.    
“I hold baby now,” Hayley sweetly said, wandering into the room.    
“You want to hold Cassandra?” Hillary asked, softly smiling over at her other daughter.    
Hayley nodded. “Yes, please.”    
“Okay, come on. Let’s go sit over on the couch,” Hillary said, getting up from her chair as Betsy and Melissa scooted over to make room for Hillary and Hayley.    
Hayley climbed up onto the couch and expectantly held her arms out for the baby.    
Hillary sat down beside her and gently placed Cassandra in Hayley’s arms, making sure that Cassandra’s head was being properly supported.    
“Aww, I love the baby!” Hayley squealed.    
Hillary smiled softly at her two youngest daughters, glad that Hayley had gotten over her jealously issues.    
“You’re so sweet, Hayls,” Hillary complimented as Hayley leaned down and gently pecked Cassandra’s forehead. “You’re such a good big sister.”    
Hayley grinned proudly.    
“Aww, they are  _ too _ adorable.” Betsy smiled over at her best friend’s children.    
“Not always,” Hillary joked with a chuckle.    
“Yes, always!” Bill chuckled, overhearing as he came into the room to check on how Hillary and her friends were doing. “Even when they aren’t in the best of moods.”    
Jessica and Sophia emerged from the kitchen and came over to join everybody in the living room.    
“Hayley had some jealously issues before,” Hillary explained to her friends. She smirked. “She was worse than Jessie was when Chelsea was born.”    
“And Jess was pretty jealous,” Melissa teased, laughing at the memories.    
“She was,” Bill agreed, also chuckling at the memory.    
“I was not!” Jessica retorted with a giggle.    
“Oh, you were,” Bill retorted. “You were  _ so _ jealous of Chelsea.”    
“Well, that’s not my fault!” Jessica argued. She jokingly shrugged and smirked. “I didn’t spoil myself, you guys.”    
“Okay, I guess we can’t blame you for that,” Hillary chuckled and smiled softly over at Jessica, realizing that her daughter had a good point. “You were definitely pretty spoiled.” She gave Bill a teasing smirk. “But that was mostly Bill’s fault. He was a sucker for you.”    
“What can I say?” Bill shrugged and smirked. “You were so hard to say no to.”    
“You still are,” Hillary teased.   
“Shut up,” Jessica chuckled. “I’m awesome, you guys.”    
Sophia happily cooed and babbled.    
“You’re awesome, too, baby girl.” Jessica smiled down at her daughter. She leaned down and kissed the top of Sophia’s head just as her daughter started waving her arms around, trying to signal that she wanted to be put down. Jessica put her down and watched her crawl around.    
“She’s getting so big,” Hillary remarked.    
Jessica weakly smiled and nodded. She nostalgically sighed. “I know! God, I can’t believe my baby is already one years old. It’s crazy.” She shook her head to herself, thinking it was insane how much could change in just a single year.    
“She’s adorable,” Melissa complimented, smiling over at the girl.    
“Thank you.” Jessica smiled just as Sophia crawled back over to Jessica and reached her arms out for her mother, prompting Jessica to pick her back up again.    
“Mama!” Sophia excitedly squealed and grinned.    
“I love you so much, Princess!” Jessica grinned at her baby girl in return.    
“Can I get anybody anything?” Bill offered. “Maybe some snacks?”    
“Sure,” Hillary nodded. “Thanks, honey.”    
Bill nodded. “No problem.” He lightly pecked Hillary’s forehead before he made his way into the kitchen.    
“So, you and Bill are  _ definitely _ getting back together?” Melissa asked, an anticipatory smile on her face.    
Hillary softly smiled and nodded. “Looks like it.”   
“Oh, that’s great, Hillary!” Betsy excitedly smiled, feeling overjoyed for her two friends, but especially for Hillary.    
Hillary nodded, still smiling. “I know. He’s great. He’s been so wonderful through all of this when I know it isn’t easy for him. But he’s been fantastic the past few days.” She paused and nervously bit her lip. “We’re going to take things  _ slow _ though. I’m honestly not sure if I want to jump right back into another relationship after what I  _ just _ went through with Scott.”   
Betsy nodded supportively. “That’s probably a good idea. To take things slow.”    
Hillary nodded in agreement.    
Once Bill came back with the snacks, Bill and Jessica took the kids and Cassandra upstairs and left Hillary alone with her friends once again.    
“We really missed you, Hillary,” Betsy suddenly said after a while, a wistful expression on her face.    
“I missed you two like crazy,” Hillary admitted. A look of regret crossed her face. “You girls have no idea how controlling Scott actually was.”   
Melissa nodded with a guilty expression on her face. “Jess told us everything. I’m so sorry, Hillary.”    
Hillary sadly sighed and just nodded, not knowing what else to say.    
“The funeral service was nice though,” Betsy softly said.    
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I wanted it to be.”    
“It was,” Melissa assured her, staring softly at Hillary.    
“I don’t want to talk about me,” Hillary suddenly said. “What’s going on with you guys?”    
The three of them continued catching up over the next little while when Hillary suddenly said, “I’m glad we’re getting to catch up and reconnect.”    
“Me, too.” Betsy nodded in agreement. “It’s really nice to see you, Hill. You look so...different.”    
Hillary nervously chuckled. “Is it the hair?” She asked with a laugh, trying to play things off. "It’s really long and blonde right now, I know.”    
“It’s nice, Hillary,” Melissa chimed in.    
Hillary chuckled again. “Thanks. But I think I’m going to get it cut soon.”    
The girls nodded in agreement.    
“Whatever you’re most comfortable with, Hillary,” Betsy said.    
“And your clothes are incredible,” Melissa suddenly remarked. “I love that dress! I wish I had your fashion sense, Hill.”   
Hillary scoffed and started chuckling again. She shook her head in disbelief. “Ladies, I have so many clothes upstairs that I’ve  _ never _ even worn once. Feel free to help yourselves to anything you want.”   
“Are you sure, Hillary?” Betsy asked with a hesitant look on her face.    
Hillary nodded. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs to my closet.”   
  
* * * * * *

“Wow, this is insane!” Melissa said, looking around Hillary’s massive walk-in closet in awe.    
Hillary chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so.”   
“And I thought I had too many clothes,” Betsy teased.    
“You have so many shoes!” Melissa gasped, staring at the rows and rows of heels.    
“These dresses are beautiful, Hill,” Betsy remarked, flipping through a rack of them.    
Hillary just shrugged. “Scott was always buying me stuff. As if he thought a new dress or a new pair of shoes or some jewelry would make everything magically better again after an argument.” She sadly shook her head to herself. “I never really wore most of this stuff. Besides the pant suits. I’ll probably just donate most of it to charity or something.”    
Betsy nodded. “That’s a good idea.”    
Hillary nodded in return. “But take whatever you like. I have no use for it.”    
“You sure?” Melissa checked.    
Hillary once again nodded. “I won’t have room for it all at the new place. I definitely want to downsize. Plus, I just don’t really want to keep any of it. I never  _ needed _ it in the first place. These shoes and dresses and designer handbags...as beautiful as they are...they’re just not me.” She shrugged.    
Melissa nodded in understanding. “Well, thank you very much, Hillary.”    
“Don’t mention it.”    
  


* * * * * *

After Hillary visited with Betsy and Melissa for a few more hours, eventually they took a taxi back to their hotel and Hillary had a nice quiet dinner at home with her family. After a family movie night, it had been a long and exhausting day and Hillary wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and fall asleep. She climbed into bed while Bill sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. They had stayed over at Hillary’s the night before but Hillary had spent the night with Bill in one of her home’s guest rooms. Tonight was the first time she was going to attempt to sleep in the master bedroom since Scott’s death. Bill was respecting her wishes and not getting into bed with her just yet, not sure if she wanted him too or not. He was perfectly content to sleep in the guest room again.    
He noticed Hillary lay back against the pillows and try to get comfortable but she looked uneasy.   
“Um, I don’t think I can sleep in here,” she awkwardly realized, nervously looking around the room as a flood of bad memories washed over her. She was desperately wishing they had stayed over at Bill and Jessica’s place again.    
“Want to stay with me?” Bill asked gently.    
Hillary shook her head. “No, um…” She nervously cleared her throat. “I think I’m going to stay with Jess tonight.”    
Bill nodded understandingly and reassuringly rubbed her thigh over top of the blankets. “Well, I hope you sleep well.”   
Hillary nodded as Bill leaned in for a hug. “You, too.”   
Bill squeezed her tightly. “Goodnight, Hilly,” he whispered tenderly into her ear. He softly and reassuringly rubbed her back. “You were great today.”    
“I wasn’t,” Hillary replied with a watery chuckle. She softly smiled. “But thank you for saying so.” She let out a shaky sigh. “I don’t know where to go from here, Bill.”    
“I’ll try to help you figure it all out,” Bill quietly said, as he stared softly into Hillary’s blue eyes. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. “If you want me to that is.”    
“I do want that,” Hillary replied, weakly smiling at Bill in return. “Thank you so much, Bill.”    
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill assured her before he leaned down and gently pecked the top of her head. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.”   
Hillary nodded. “Have a great night. Get some sleep.”    
“You, too,” Bill nodded in return as Hillary was crawling out of bed. Ater Hillary had grabbed the baby monitor from the nightstand, the two of them went their separate ways. Bill went to one of the guest rooms at the end of the hallway while Hillary went in the opposite direction towards Jessica’s room.    
  


“Hey,” she said, standing in the doorway of Jessica’s room a few seconds later. She watched as Sophia and Jessica were cuddled up together with Sophia sound asleep against her mother's chest. Jessica had been staring down at Sophia and watching her baby girl in awe as her daughter slept peacefully, but she looked up upon hearing her mother's voice.    
“Oh, hey,” Jessica said.    
“How are you doing?” Hillary asked.    
Jessica shrugged. “I’m fine, I guess. What about you?” She grabbed a stray hair tie from her nightstand and tied her long blonde hair up into a loose, messy bun.    
“I’m okay.” Hillary also shrugged. “I just have  _ a lot _ on my mind right now.” She roughly sighed.    
Jessica nodded understandingly.    
“Can I sleep in here tonight?” Hillary asked in a quiet and vulnerable tone that Jessica didn’t quite recognize.    
She stared at her mother softly and nodded. Peeling back the covers for her mother she answered: “Of course, Mama.”    
“Thank you,” Hillary gratefully said as she walked across the room and crawled into bed with her oldest daughter as Sophia lay in between the two women. “God, I can’t stand this stupid house anymore.”    
“You’ll be out of here soon enough, Mama,” Jessica reassured her mother, reaching over and gently stroking her mother’s back.   
Hillary nodded and sighed. She knew that her daughter was right but it was still going to be a long process of selling the house and moving into a new one.    
“Sophie’s an early riser but we’ll try to be quiet so that we don’t wake you,” Jessica informed her mother.    
“She’s just like her mother was at that age,” Hillary replied with a smirk.    
Jessica quietly chuckled as she grabbed some hand cream from her nightstand and rubbed it into her hands.   
“You woke up in the middle of the night  _ all _ the time when you were younger and didn’t want to go back to sleep,” Hillary explained. “So of course you would then wake  _ us _ up, too.” Hillary managed to work up a chuckle of her own. She smiled nostalgically. “Bill would stay up with you and you two would watch baseball together.”    
Jessica laughed again. “But I hate baseball.”    
“Well, it always did the charm and put you right to sleep, I swear,” Hillary insisted with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t start sleeping all the way through the night until you were about five or six.”    
“I still don’t,” Jessica joked with a slight chuckle.    
“Yeah, but now you don’t crawl into my bed in the middle of the night, asking for a glass of milk,” Hillary teased, laughing quietly to herself.    
“I was  _ so _ cute,” Jessica teased, smirking at her mother with a playful glint in her eyes.    
“You were,” Hillary agreed, nodding. “We were all so happy.” She sighed nostalgically. “We were the perfect little family. I miss those days, when you and Chelsea were younger.” She sighed again before she smiled wistfully. “Bill loved you so much. He still does.”    
“Yeah, Bill’s pretty amazing,” Jessica nodded in agreement.    
“He is,” Hillary agreed, nodding again with a dreamy smile on her face.    
“You should take him back, Mom,” Jessica quietly replied.    
“I want to, Jess,” Hillary quietly said. “God, Jessie. I do. I really do. It just feels weird to do it right now after Scott  _ just _ passed.”    
“But you were going to get back together with Bill before Scott even passed away, Mom,” Jessica simply pointed out.    
“I know, Jess. But how would it look if less than a week after my husband died, I got back together with my  _ ex- _ husband?”   
“You could be discrete about it, Mom,” Jessica pointed out. “You deserve to be happy, Mama. Especially after everything you’ve gone through this year. After all the crap that Scott put you through, you deserve Bill.” She softly rubbed Hillary’s back again.    
“I want him, Jessica,” Hillary whispered, looking down.    
“Then go get him,” Jessica replied, softly smiling to both herself but also over at her mother.    
Hillary nodded, knowing that her daughter was right, as usual. “I think I will,” she said before she loudly yawned.    
“Let’s go to sleep, Mama,” Jessica said, knowing that it had been a long and exhausting day for the both of them, but especially for her mother. They could continue their discussion in the morning.   
Hillary nodded in agreement, knowing that she desperately needed sleep, as the two women both lay down and got comfortable. Sophia cuddled against Jessica in her sleep while Jessica snuggled up against both her daughter and her mother.    
“Goodnight, Mama,” Jessica sleepily said as her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes. With her eyes still closed, she reached over and flicked off the bedside lamp.   
“Goodnight, Kitty Cat.” 

To Be Continued…   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't end up including as much of Scott's funeral as I originally thought I was going to but that's okay LOL. I haven't yet decided if Scott's siblings will appear again down the line in future chapters to cause trouble for Hillary or not. We'll see. 
> 
> Next chapter should be fluffier but with _some_ angst thrown in of course, for good measure ;) 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the update and that you're all enjoying your weekends so far! It feels a little silly posting this when there are way more important things going on in the world right now, but I figured that we could all use the escape right now, right? 
> 
> Until next time.


	39. Happy Birthday

When Hillary woke up the next morning, she looked over in bed and Sophia and Jessica were still sound asleep. She decided to let them sleep, especially Jessica, since Sophia usually didn’t let her mother sleep this late. Even though Cassandra had woken up a few times in the middle of the night to be fed or held, Hillary had still woken up that morning feeling more refreshed and well rested than she had in days. After carefully and quietly getting out of bed, she checked on Cassandra and Hayley who were also both still sound asleep, before she decided to go downstairs to make coffee. She found Bill and Chelsea cooking breakfast together in the kitchen.  
“Morning,” Bill greeted, smiling over at Hillary as he was cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.  
“Hey.” Hillary softly smiled at him in return as she made her way over to the coffeemaker.  
“Good morning, Mom,” Chelsea cheerfully said as she stood over the stove, frying up some bacon.  
“Morning, Chels,” Hillary said, coming over to give Chelsea a hug.  
Chelsea hugged her mother in return before she let her mother pour herself a cup of coffee.  
“Morning, Jess,” Chelsea suddenly said, as she realized that Jessica had come downstairs with a wide awake Sophia in her arms.  
“Morning, everyone,” Jessica cheerfully greeted with a smile as she entered the kitchen.  
“Aww, you look so cute when you wear your glasses, honey,” Hillary complimented as Jessica put Sophia in her high chair and poured herself a cup of coffee.  
“Thanks,” Jessica replied with a chuckle. “I was too lazy and tired to put in my contacts when I woke up.”  
Bill chuckled. “You look just like your mom when you wear your glasses, Jess,” He remarked as he started whisking the eggs.  
“Good because she’s _gorgeous_ ,” Jessica complimented with a smile as she added french vanilla creamer to her coffee.  
Hillary blushed and smiled sheepishly causing Jessica to chuckle.  
“Oh, hush,” Hillary said, taking a sip of her coffee.  
“What?” Jessica said with a shrug. “You are pretty hot, Mom.”  
“Hush, Jessica,” Hillary admonished. “I am not.”  
“You are!” Jessica firmly insisted.  
“You totally are, Mom,” Chelsea agreed.  
Hillary chuckled. “Whatever you say. What’s for breakfast?” She asked to get the topic of conversation off of her.  
“Bacon and eggs,” Bill answered. “Do you want toast?”  
“Sure.” Hillary nodded.  
Chelsea grabbed the bread out of the bread box just as Sophia started reaching her arms out towards Bill.  
Bill grinned and happily scooped his granddaughter up, eliciting an excited squeal from the toddler.  
“She slept in for once,” Bill remarked as he looked over at the kitchen clock and realized what time it was.  
Jessica nodded before she took a sip of her coffee. “Yeah. I know. Happy Birthday to me I guess."  
“Wait…”  
There was a pause as Hillary and Bill looked at each other and realized what day it was. Hillary looked over at the calendar on the refrigerator door for confirmation and yep…  
“Oh my God! It’s your birthday!” Hillary realized, with a shocked and guilty expression on her face. She had completely forgotten what day it was.  
“Yeah,” Jessica giggled awkwardly as she realized that her parents had forgotten it was her birthday that day. “I know everything’s been crazy the past few weeks so don’t even worry about it, you guys. It’s just any other day.”  
“Why didn’t you say something sooner, honey?” Hillary asked, tearing up, feeling incredibly guilty despite Jessica’s reassurances.  
Jessica shrugged.  
“And Oh God…” Hillary suddenly realized that that meant that Bill’s birthday had been a few days before as well, just a couple of days before Scott had passed away, while they were in Chicago. “Bill! I forgot your birthday, too! Oh God. I’m the worst.” It had been a big milestone birthday, too. His fiftieth.  
“Hey,” Bill chuckled. “Shhh, sweetheart. It’s okay. It’s no big deal. You were under a lot of stress.” He put a gentle hand on Hillary’s shoulder in order to reassure her.  
“Yeah, Mom. It’s not a big deal,” Jessica agreed, giving her mother a reassuring smile. “Turning twenty-three is nothing special.” She shrugged.  
Hillary pulled Jessica in for a tight hug. “Well, Happy Birthday, sweetie.”  
“Thank you.” Jessica smiled softly and nuzzled her head into the crook of Hillary’s neck.  
“And Happy Belated Birthday, Bill,” Hillary said, smiling weakly at him.  
"Thank you," Bill said, smiling softly at Hillary in return.   
"It's nice that we can all be together for your birthday," Hillary remarked to Jessica as the two of them broke apart from their hug. She was glad that Chelsea hadn't gone back to college yet. "Too bad we're celebrating under such terrible circumstances."   
"Yeah," Chelsea agreed with a sad sigh before she went over to give her big sister a birthday hug. "But Happy Birthday, Jess."  
"Thank you, Chels." Jessica smiled to herself as she accepted her sister's hug.   
"I'm so sorry, Jess!" Hillary apologized again, feeling just simply awful about her oversight.   
"It's okay, Mom!" Jessica assured Hillary. She smiled over at her mother. "Really. You were preoccupied."   
"But still. I should have remembered," Hillary argued. "I mean I gave birth to you. Twenty-three whole years." She shook her head in disbelief at how fast time was passing. "What do you want to do tonight, honey? We could go out for dinner if you want."  
"It's really okay," Jessica replied with a chuckle. "It's honestly not that big a deal for me. It's just another day."   
Hillary knew that Jessica was only saying that and playing it off for her mother's sake and while Hillary appreciated that, she still felt absolutely awful for forgetting her own daughter's birthday.   
"Jessie," Bill said, giving Jessica an incredulous look. While he knew Jessica's birthday had been coming up, the day had also just creeped up on him and he also hadn't realized what day it was until Jessica had said something.   
"It's not a big deal!" Jessica insisted with a laugh.   
"Yes it is!" Bill argued in return. "Its your birthday, sweetie. We should take you out tonight."   
"Fine," Jessica relented and playfully rolled her eyes. "It's really okay though, you guys. We can just stay home and watch a movie together or something." She shrugged.   
"I feel terrible." With a sad and guilty expression on her face, Hillary shook her head to herself.   
"Mom, it's okay," Jessica firmly said, placing a reassuring hand on her mother's shoulder. "I mean, your husband just died."   
"But, still," Hillary replied smiling softly at Jessica. "You're my baby."   
Jessica softly smiled to herself as Hillary hugged her again.   
"I'm so sorry," Hillary whispered into Jessica's ear.   
"Stop apologizing, Mom." Jessica chuckled. "It's really okay. I'll have plenty of other birthdays. It's not that big a deal."   
"Yes it is, honey!" Hillary playfully argued. "It's your birthday! And I feel absolutely terrible that I forgot. I’m sorry about forgetting yours as well, Bill.”  
“Mom, it’s okay,” Jessica repeatedly reassured her mother. “I’m not upset or anything so don’t be sad. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to remember with all that’s been going on.” She paused before she smirked. “I still love you, guys.”  
Hillary weakly smiled. “Well not as much as I love you.” She leaned over and stood on her tippy toes to peck Jessica’s cheek. “So what do you want to do today? It’s your birthday and I want to treat you to something. You deserve it.”  
“All I want to do today is to spend time with all of you,” Jessica answered, smiling. “That’s all that would make me happy. Okay?”  
“Okay,” Hillary nodded in understanding but she still wanted to make Jessica’s day special. “But I still want to treat you to something nice. How about the spa?”  
Jessica smiled slyly and nodded. “Yeah, a spa day _would_ be nice.”  
Hillary nodded and smiled in return. “Well, that’s settled then. I’ll pull some strings and get us appointments for today.”  
“What about the kids?” Jessica pointed out, biting her lip.  
“I’ll watch them,” Bill immediately offered. “You girls have fun. You deserve it.” Bill also wanted his girls to have a relaxing and fun spa day. They deserved it after everything they had been through over the past few days and weeks.  
“Thanks, Bill,” Jessica said, smiling at Bill gratefully. “Are you coming with us, Chelsea?” She asked.  
Chelsea nodded and smiled. “Sure. Sounds fun.”  
“Perfect,” Hillary nodded. “I’ll go and make our appointments. Hayley can come, too. I’m sure she would love to get her nails painted.”  
Jessica and Chelsea nodded before Hillary left the room to go call the spa.  
  


* * * * * *

Hillary came back to the kitchen a few minutes later, having successfully gotten them appointments for later that afternoon. The rest of her family (minus Hayley and Cassandra who were still sleeping) were sitting around the kitchen table, eating breakfast.  
“We have appointments for two o’clock,” Hillary informed her daughters as she took a seat at the table in between Bill and Chelsea.  
“Thanks,” Jessica said, nodding and smiling.  
“My baby’s getting old,” Hillary teased as Bill made her a plate.  
Jessica chuckled. “You don’t even look like you have adult children, Mom. I swear, its like you never age.”  
“Oh, I do, too,” Hillary replied with a playful eye roll.  
“Your mom is one of the lucky few who actually looks better as they age,” Bill explained, as he put Hillary’s breakfast down on the table in front of her. “Meanwhile the rest of us wrinkle up,” he joked.  
“Oh, hush,” Hillary said. “You get more handsome with age, I promise.”  
“Yeah, right,” Bill chuckled quietly.  
“I’m being serious!” Hillary insisted. “Really, Bill. You look so handsome with a little gray in your hair,” she added, running her fingers through his soft and thick hair.  
Bill stared over at Hillary softly before he nervously cleared his throat. “Well, thanks.”  
Hillary smiled at him in return. “Don’t thank me. I’m being serious.”  
“You’re crazy,” Bill chuckled and grinned. “But very sweet.”  
Jessica and Chelsea smiled over at their parents, enjoying their playful banter over breakfast. They had missed that. 

“So, who volunteers to clean the kitchen?” Hillary asked a few minutes later as everybody finished eating.  
“I guess I will since it’s Jess’s birthday,” Chelsea kindly offered.  
“Thanks, baby,” Hillary said. “I’ll help.”  
  


* * * * * 

After Chelsea had washed all the dishes and their daughters had gone upstairs to get ready for the spa, Bill and Hillary were standing over the kitchen sink together, drying the dishes and doing the rest of the kitchen clean-up from breakfast.  
“I can’t believe I _forgot_ her birthday. And yours,” Hillary glumly said, shaking her head to herself. “I’m so stupid.”  
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill softly said when he noticed a tear forming in the corner of Hillary’s eye. He put the dish towel that was in his hands down on the kitchen counter and wrapped his arms tightly around Hillary’s waist. He gently rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “We both understand, Hilly. _A lot_ has been going on lately.”  
“But still.” Hillary shrugged. “I’m the worst.”  
“You are not,” Bill firmly said. He pecked her forehead again. “It’s okay, honey. If it makes you feel any better, I also completely forgot what day it was today.”  
Hillary just sighed and wiped her eyes before she gently placed the plate that she had just finished drying down into the dish rack and decided to go upstairs to check on Cassandra. 

* * * * * 

“Hello, my sweet girl,” she quietly cooed, scooping her now awake daughter up from her bassinet a few minutes later. She carried the baby over to the rocking chair in Cassandra’s nursery and took a seat.  
“I’m so sorry about everything that’s happened, baby girl,” she whispered as she stared down into Cassandra’s deep blue eyes that reminded her so much of Scott’s. “We’ll be okay, though. Everything’s going to be okay.” She had to say it out loud in order to believe it herself. “I love you _so_ much,” She added, which elicited a happy coo from Cassandra.  
Hillary weakly smiled and softly stroked Cassandra’s cheek with her thumb just as Bill came into view as he stood in the doorway of Cassandra’s nursery.  
“Hey, you,” Hillary said, smiling over at him.  
“Hi,” Bill smiled in return. “How are you two doing?”  
Hillary shrugged. “We’re okay.” She leaned down and gently kissed Cassandra’s forehead as her daughter continued happily cooing away.  
Bill sat down in the armchair that was in the corner of the room and watched the two of them for a few moments.  
“She looks like him.” Hillary sighed sadly to herself and frowned.  
“I’m so sorry,” Bill said, for what felt like the millionth time that week. He let out a shaky sigh as well.  
Hillary shrugged and gently kissed Cassandra’s forehead again. “I need to go give her a bath.”  
  


* * * * * *

Cassandra was happily cooing and gurgling away as Hillary bathed her in her little plastic tub, in the master bathroom.  
“You like taking baths, don’t you, my sweet girl?” Hillary cooed, smiling softly down at her daughter. “You are just _too_ cute,” she added just as Jessica poked her head inside the bathroom. “And there’s your big sister!” Hillary cooed.  
Jessica chuckled. “I just wanted to see how you were doing, Mom?” Bill had told her that her mother seemed out of sorts.  
Hillary sighed and suddenly teared up. “My emotions are just all over the place, Jess.”  
“Mom.” Jessica sighed and frowned.  
“My husband died, Jessica!” Hillary snapped.  
“I know, Mom. Shhh. It’s okay,” Jessica soothingly said, not taking her mother’s yelling to heart. “I’ll finish up Cassandra’s bath. Go lay down for a bit before we have to leave.”  
Hillary nodded as Jessica came over, not objecting to the idea. After making sure that Jessica and Cassandra were okay, Hillary went into her adjoining bedroom and collapsed down onto the bed. She tried her best not to but suddenly out of nowhere, she started sobbing. Shoulder shaking, heart wrenching, loud, snot-filled sobs were coming out of her as all of her emotions from the past few days suddenly caught up to her and hit her like a ton of bricks.   
“Hillary?” She heard three light knocks on the bedroom door. “It’s me. Bill.”  
Hillary sniffled and managed to catch her breath. “Yeah?” She asked, quickly starting to wipe her tears.   
“Can I come in?” Bill asked, having heard Hillary’s sobbing.  
“Um, I guess so,” Hillary answered as Bill was already entering the room.  
“Whoa,” Bill remarked, when he realized how upset Hillary looked. As he sat down on the bed beside her, Hillary immediately cuddled up to him and gently laid her head against his shoulder.  
“Everything will be okay, Hill,” Bill softly and reassuringly whispered as he gently started playing with her blonde tresses.  
“How?” Hillary asked in a shaky voice.  
“Well, I’ll be here, for starters,” Bill plainly answered, as if it was the most simple thing in the whole world. He gently rubbed Hillary’s back.  
“I know and I want you to be but…” Hillary paused and sucked in a breath. “I feel so guilty,” she added quietly. “And then I look at Cassandra and it pisses me off all over again that she doesn’t have a father.” She harshly sighed.  
Bill nodded and continued gently stroking Hillary’s hair, wanting to let her vent. He was absolutely prepared to be Cassandra’s father but he didn’t want to upset Hillary further by pointing that out.  
“Why did he do this to her?” Hillary cried, burying her head in Bill’s shoulder as another sob escaped out of her.  
Bill frowned and placed a gentle kiss into the crown of Hillary’s head. “Shh. It’s okay, Hillary,” he soothed.  
“I’m so sad!” Hillary cried. “Plus I’m the _worst_ mother ever.”  
“Shhh, Hillary. You are not.” Bill continued rubbing soothing circles into Hillary’s back until she eventually calmed down a few minutes later. “You are far from the worst mother ever. Okay?”  
Hillary sniffled and nodded. “Okay.”  
“It’s okay,” Bill soothed, gently stroking Hillary’s hair. “You’re okay.”  
Hillary nodded again just as Jessica came into the bedroom with Cassandra in her arms.  
“Hi,” Hillary quietly said, quickly brushing away her tears so that Jessica didn’t notice. She reached her arms out for Cassandra. “Hi, baby girl.”  
“She’s awfully happy today,” Bill remarked, smiling softly as he stared down at Cassandra as Hillary got the baby comfortably nestled into her arms.  
“Yeah, she is,” Hillary nodded and managed to work up a weak smile. “She loves taking baths. It’s cute.”  
“Can I hold her?” Bill asked.  
Hillary nodded and carefully passed the baby over.  
“Hi, cutie!” Bill cooed, smiling down at her.  
Cassandra happily cooed in response.  
Bill chuckled at her. “You are _so_ adorable. You are _just_ like your Mama.”  
Hillary weakly smiled to herself at Bill’s comment before she sadly sighed again. “Ugh, I need to get out of this house.”  
“Well, Chelsea and I are ready to go,” Jessica informed her mother. “Hayley’s up, too. Dad got her dressed and Chelsea’s preparing her breakfast now. So we can leave any time you want. We can grab coffee on the way.” Since they still had some time to kill before their appointments at the spa.  
Hillary nodded. “Sounds good. I just need to take a quick shower.”  
“Okay.” Jessica nodded. “See you in a bit then.”  
Hillary nodded and watched her oldest daughter leave the room.  
“Have fun today,” Bill said as Hillary started to get ready for her shower.   
Hillary nodded and gently pecked Bill’s cheek. “I’ll try.”  
“Good,” Bill nodded. He hoped that a relaxing spa day would do his ex-wife and daughters some good after everything that had happened over the last several days.  
“Be good for Bill,” Hillary cooed to Cassandra, who was still settled comfortably in Bill’s arms. She leaned down and gently pecked the newborn’s forehead.  
“She’s always good,” Bill chuckled. “She’s the most perfect baby.”  
“Thank you so much for watching her today.” Hillary smiled softly at him as she started to slowly undress. “I pumped last night so there’s plenty of milk in the fridge.”  
Bill nodded and smiled softly at Hillary in return. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered, Hill. You just go and have a fun day with our girls. You deserve it.”  
  


* * * * *  
  


“Ugh, I need another coffee,” Hillary remarked through a yawn as she drove herself and her daughters to the nearby coffee shop where they were going to kill some time, before heading to the spa.  
Jessica chuckled. “Me, too.”  
“I hate this car,” Hillary suddenly remarked as she pulled to a stop at a red light and checked how much gas she had left. “I can’t believe I actually _wanted_ a Range Rover.” She chuckled to herself and shook her head. “I need something smaller.” She turned to look over at Jessica who was sitting in the front passenger seat. “We can buy you a new car, too.”  
“That’s okay, Mom,” Jessica replied with a nervous chuckle as the light turned green. “I can’t really afford a new car right now.”  
“I’ll pay for it,” Hillary shrugged.  
“No, no, no, no.” Jessica shook her head in protest. “My current car is fine for now. I promise.”  
“Well, at least take this one, then,” Hillary insisted, realizing that Scott had been right a weeks prior when he suggested they pass Hillary’s Range Rover down to Jessica and Hillary had turned the idea down because of her own stubbornness and callousness at the time.  
“Mom, it’s fine,” Jessica reassured her mother with another chuckle. “My current car is fine.”  
“Can I have this car?” Chelsea playfully asked from the backseat.  
Hillary laughed as they pulled up to the coffee shop. “You’re going back to California next week, honey.”  
Chelsea bit her lip and frowned to herself, deciding to talk to her parents about the idea she had been pondering, later that night at dinner.

They went inside the coffee shop and while Jessica, Chelsea, and Hayley snagged a table, Hillary went up to the counter to order their drinks.  
“I hate how sad Mom is right now,” Chelsea suddenly remarked, with a sad sigh.  
“Yeah,” Jessica agreed with a sad sigh of her own. “I know. I feel so bad for her.”  
Chelsea nodded in agreement. “I hate seeing her this way.”  
The two women suddenly forced smiles at Hillary as their mom came back to the table with their drinks, as well as some juice and cookies for Hayley.  
“Mmmm, yummy!” Hayley squealed before she started happily munching away on her chocolate chip cookie.  
The three other women all chuckled at how adorable she was.  
“So…” Jessica paused for dramatic effect and took a sip of her iced latte. “Guess what, you guys? I have a date next Friday night.” She excitedly smiled at her mother and sisters and waited for her mother’s reaction to the news, since Chelsea already knew that she had kind of been seeing somebody over the last couple of weeks.  
“Really?” Hillary asked, with a surprised look on her face. “With who?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly as she took a sip of her vanilla latte.  
“His name is James,” Jessica announced with a dreamy smile. “He’s a PhD student at Yale. We _literally_ bumped into each other in the graduate student lounge on campus and knocked each other’s books out of our arms. It was so funny. Like something out of a movie.” Jessica chuckled at the memory.  
Hillary chuckled and smiled softly at her daughter, feeling happy for her. “Well, that’s nice, honey.”  
Jessica nodded in agreement, glad that her mother had taken the news well. “We’ve gone out for coffee together a few times already as...friends, but then he asked me out on an actual date a few days ago.” She gave her mom and sisters an anticipatory grin. “Do you want to help Dad watch Sophia that night?” She asked her mom.  
Hillary nodded, “Sure. I’d love to. I should be free that night.”  
Jessica nodded. “Perfect.”  
“How did Bill take the news?” Hillary asked curiously.  
“Well...he thinks I’m just going to the movies with a friend from school that night. But I’ll tell him the truth now that you know.”  
Hillary nodded and chuckled again. “That’s probably a good idea, honey.”  
Jessica laughed and took another sip of her latte. “Yeah.”  
  


* * * * *

After they had finished their drinks a while later, it was soon time to head to the spa. The three women plus Hayley all excitedly entered the spa, looking forward to an afternoon of pampering and relaxation. They definitely needed it after the week they had had.  
“What color nail polish do you want, sweetie?” Hillary asked Hayley, while they waited in the lobby of the spa for one of the nail technicians to come and get them for their pedicures. Hillary scooped up Hayley so that she could get a better look at the array of colorful nail polish choices on the wall to choose from.  
“Pink!” Hayley squealed, pointing to a bottle of lightf pink nail polish.  
“Of course,” Hillary chuckled.  
“Figures,” Chelsea quietly laughed as she chose a classic shade of red for herself.  
Hillary also went with a nice deep shade of red while Jessica chose dark purple.  
“Thank you so much for this, Mom,” Jessica gratefully said as one of the nail technicians led Hayley over to a nearby table for her kid’s manicure while Hillary, Jessica, and Chelsea followed another nail technician over to the pedicure chairs.  
“Hey, it’s the least I can do,” Hillary replied as she took a seat in the luxurious comfortable leather pedicure chair and soaked her feet in the foot tub. “I still can’t believe I _forgot_ your birthday for christ’s sake. What’s wrong with me?”  
“It’s okay, Mom,” Jessica assured Hillary, smiling softly over at her, just appreciative that Hillary had made up for her oversight by taking her to the spa.   
Meanwhile Hillary got a text from Bill saying he was taking the babies to the grocery store to buy a birthday cake for Jessica as well as the ingredients needed to make her favorite dinner.  
  


_That’s perfect!_ Hillary texted back. _Thank you SO much, Bill! You’re a lifesaver!_

_No problem, Hill. Love you. Have fun!_ Bill sent back. 

Hillary stared down at her phone for a moment, not sure what to say in return before she settled on: _Thanks. I love you, too._ She sent it before she could overthink things and change her mind.

She smiled to herself and set her phone facedown on the arm of her chair, so that she could focus and be present in the moment with her daughters.  
Jessica raised an eyebrow at her mother, noticing the dreamy expression on Hillary’s face.  
“Who was that?” Jessica curiously asked.  
“None of your business!” Hillary teased, chuckling softly.  
“Ohhh, sassy!” Jessica teased in return with a chuckle of her own.  
Hillary smirked knowingly at Jessica.  
“Mom has a crush, Chels,” Jessica said to her sister with a conspiratorial smirk of her own.  
“I can tell,” Chelsea teased, laughing slightly.  
“Oh, hush, you two,” Hillary jokingly admonished towards the two of them.  
“What?” Jessica asked, laughing to herself, with a mock innocent expression on her face.  
“Nothing.” Hillary couldn’t help but laugh at her two oldest daughters and the way they were currently behaving.   
“Can I tell you something?” Chelsea asked Hillary, with a slightly nervous expression on her face.  
“Anything.” Hillary gave her daughter a reassuring and encouraging smile.  
“I sort of have a boyfriend, too,” Chelsea admitted, nervously biting her lip. She weakly smiled at her mother.  
“Since when?” Hillary asked, a wide-eyed expression on her face.  
“Well, we only got together at the end of the semester, right before I came home for the summer,” Chelsea explained. “But we’ve been staying in touch over the phone and through texting. He’s really great. His name is Marc.”  
“And why are you just now telling me this?” Hillary asked. She wasn’t mad that Chelsea kept it from her, but she was surprised.  
Chelsea shrugged slightly and smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”  
Hillary chuckled. “Well, I want to know these things, Chels. You can tell me anything, honey.” She noticed Jessica’s lack of a reaction. “Did she tell you?”  
“Yeah…” Jessica nervously laughed. “You have to tell your big sister everything. It’s a rule.”  
Hillary chuckled again. She couldn’t disagree with that sentiment. “Well, is he cute?” She asked Chelsea.  
Chelsea giggled as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. “ _Very_.”  
“Aww! Well, I’m happy for you, sweetie,” Hillary said, happy to have heard some good news to smile about for the first time in a long time. “And for you, too, sweetie.” She looked towards Jessica.  
“Thanks,” Jessica replied, smiling softly at her mother and sister in return.  
“Is Marc your age?” Hillary asked Chelsea.  
“He’s a little bit older,” Chelsea admitted. “He’s going to be a junior this year.”  
“Well, that’s not that bad,” Hillary replied. They were close enough in age since Chelsea was going to be a sophomore in a couple of weeks. “How old is James?” Hillary asked Jessica, making conversation with her daughters while they got their pedicures.   
“Um, he’s older as well,” Jessica answered, keeping things vague on purpose.  
“Well, how much older?” Hillary asked, chuckling slightly as she pressed for the specifics. She had figured he was a bit older than Jessica since he was getting his PhD in something.  
Jessica nervously swallowed before she took the last sip of her iced latte and finally answered. “He’s thirty.”  
“What?” Hillary gasped. “Honey, no. That’s too old.”  
“Mom!” Jessica whined. She was an adult. “He’s only seven years older. What’s the big deal?” She nonchalantly shrugged.  
“Jess,” Hillary sighed. “I don’t know about this, honey. He probably has a history.”  
“I don’t think so,” Jessica sighed as well. “ He's been too busy with school to really seriously date anybody until now. And he’s _so_ sweet, Mom. He’s great. He even remembered it was my birthday and sent me a Happy Birthday text this morning.”  
“Well, you’re an adult. I guess I can’t control what you do or who you date,” Hillary finally surrendered.  
“Thank you,” Jessica said, nodding in agreement.  
“I do want to meet him though,” Hillary replied. "That's my only condition."   
Jessica shrugged and nodded. “Sure." She figured that would be easy enough to arrange. "He’s a really great guy, Mom.”  
“What is he getting his PhD in?” Hillary asked curiously.  
“English literature,” Jessica answered.  
Hillary nodded. At least he had a stable career and life it sounded like. “Does he want to go into academia?”  
“He wants to write the next Great American Novel,” Jessica joked. “But yes, he wants to be an English Lit professor in the meantime after he graduates.”  
Hillary nodded. She was happy and relieved that it already sounded like Jessica and James had things in common since Jessica also liked writing.  
“Well, I hope your date with him goes well and I can’t wait to meet him one day,” Hillary replied, smiling over at Jessica. She turned towards Chelsea. “Marc, too.”  
As she continued getting her pedicure, Hillary couldn’t help but smile to herself, feeling happy and relieved that her daughters were doing well and that they had found partners who cared for them and (hopefully) respected them. 

* * * * * *

“Mama!”  
Sophia excitedly crawled over to the door, upon hearing and seeing her mother, grandmother, and aunts walking through the front door as they arrived home from the spa.  
“Hi, peanut!” Jessica grinned, equally excited to see her daughter. She scooped the toddler up and squeezed her.  
After their manicures, pedicures, and facials for Hillary, Chelsea, and Jessica, the three women were feeling a lot more relaxed, rested, and rejuvenated than they had felt earlier that day. They had even gone to the mall for a bit after the spa to buy Bill and Jessica some birthday presents.  
“Look, Daddy!” Hayley squealed, running into the kitchen where Bill was preparing Jessica’s birthday dinner. “Pretty nails!” She showed Bill her perfectly painted, pale pink fingernails.  
Bill pretended to gasp as he admired her nails. “Hi, baby girl. Your finger nails _are_ very pretty, aren’t they?”  
Hayley nodded happily and smiled sweetly. Bill couldn’t help but smile at how adorable she was.  
“How were Sophia and Cassandra?” Hillary asked, coming into the kitchen behind Hayley.  
“Angels,” Bill replied, as he checked on the creamy Alfredo sauce that was currently bubbling away on the stove. “As always.”  
Hillary gave Bill a relieved smile. “Great. Thanks _so_ much for watching them today.”  
“It was no trouble at all," Bill assured Hillary. He had loved spending the day with them. "Cassandra’s napping right now,” Bill explained.   
Hillary nodded and checked the time. “I should wake her up soon. It’s getting late and I don’t want her to be up all night. In fact, I think I’ll go do that now.”  
Bill nodded and went back to cooking dinner before Hillary disappeared upstairs. 

* * * * * *

“Hi, baby girl!” Hillary quietly cooed, as she carefully tip-toed into Cassandra’s nursery, not wanting to startle the newborn. She went over to Cassandra’s bassinet and gently scooped the newborn up, causing the baby to yawn slightly as she opened her pretty eyes.  
“Hi, beautiful.” Hillary softly smiled down at her daughter as the baby smiled up at her mother in return. She leaned down and gently kissed Cassandra’s forehead before she took the baby downstairs and re-joined the rest of her family who had congregated in the kitchen.  
“Hi, Cassandra!” Chelsea happily cooed. “I missed you.”  
Hillary chuckled. “She missed you, too, I’m sure.”  
Suddenly the baby started fussing.  
“Oh, no.” Hillary frowned. “Are you hungry, baby girl? It’s okay. Mama will feed you.”  
She passed the baby over to Chelsea for a minute so that she could unbutton her blouse.  
“You look just like your daddy,” Hillary realized with a bittersweet sigh as she took the baby back from Chelsea a moment later. She looked over at Jessica and Chelsea as Cassandra latched on and eagerly started eating. “I checked my messages when you girls went to the washroom at the mall and I had an angry voicemail from his sister,” Hillary admitted, with another sad sigh.  
“Oh, just ignore her, Mom,” Jessica replied with a frustrated sigh. She rolled her eyes.  
“I can’t,” Hillary let out a shaky sigh. “I’d feel exactly the same way or even worse if something like this ever happened to one of my brothers.” She shrugged and sighed as she made a realization. “I need to meet with her, I guess. Let me give her a call.”  
“If that’s what you think is best,” Jessica acquiesced with a shrug. It was her mother’s choice after all.  
“I think it is.” Hillary nodded and waited for Cassandra to finish eating so that she could go and call Scott's sister. 

* * * * *

As she walked into the living room and found Barbara’s phone number in her phone contacts a few minutes later, Hillary found the number and sat down on the couch while she waited for Barbara to answer.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi, Barbara,” Hillary said. “It’s Hillary.”  
“Oh, hello,” Barbara replied, sounding taken aback that Hillary was calling her.  
“I got your message earlier,” Hillary began. “Listen, I know that you hate me and you blame me for Scott’s death but I just wanted you to know that I did care for your brother very deeply. Would you like to meet for a coffee tomorrow? I think we should discuss things and clear the air in person.”  
“Not particularly,” Barbara answered, with regards to whether she wanted to get coffee with Hillary.  
“I think it would help the both of us,” Hillary offered in a quiet but firm voice. “I’m grieving too, you know.”  
“Well, if you insist,” Barbara gave in with a frustrated sigh.  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly replied. “How long are you going to be in town for? Does tomorrow work?”  
“Fine,” Barbara answered shortly.  
“Great,” Hillary replied, trying her best to sound positive. “We can meet at one of the coffee shops near your hotel,” she suggested. “And you’re welcome to come back to my house afterwards to visit with Cassandra if you’d like.” Hillary may not have liked them and she may not have been getting along with them, but she still wanted Cassandra to have her aunts and her uncle in her life. Especially with Scott now out of the picture.  
“We’ll see,” Barbara responded, snippily. “And I want all of Scott’s things, by the way.”  
“ _All_ of it?” Hillary croaked out, sounding surprised by Barbara’s request. Hillary had no use for it and was probably going to donate most of it to charity, she had decided but suddenly, Barbara’s words and tone of voice were making her feel possessive over her dead husband's belongings.  
“Well, what if I want to keep some of it?” Hillary tried.  
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have driven my brother away then!” Barbara snapped. “I’ll see you tomorrow at noon,” she added abruptly before she angrily hung up.  
Hillary harshly sighed to herself and went back to the kitchen. 

“How did that go?” Bill asked curiously while he was in the middle of assembling a caesar salad.  
“Not well,” Hillary answered with a harsh sigh as she sat down at the kitchen table, across from Jessica and Chelsea. She reached out for Cassandra. “She hates me,” she added with another sigh. A sadder and more resigned sigh this time.  
“It’s just her grief talking, mom,” Jessica assured Hillary as she passed her baby sister back over to Hillary.   
"Well, I still feel absolutely horrible over what happened," Hillary admitted with a glum expression on her face. "Everything is all my fault."   
"Oh, Mom," Jessica said with a sigh, hating that her mother was _still_ blaming herself for Scott's death. "That's not true."  
"Yeah, Hill," Bill piped in. "Its not your fault _at all._ Okay?"   
Hillary shook her head and sadly stared at Bill. "Oh, it is _very much_ my fault that Scott is dead."  
"Mom, you didn't force him to do drugs," Chelsea chimed in. "Its not your fault that he was a drug addict. He had a choice. He didn't have to get in a car that night and drive but he did." Chelsea shrugged as if it were only that simple.   
“Well, if I had just been nicer to him, than maybe he’d still be here,” Hillary quietly replied as she looked down at her lap. She shook her head to herself. “I should have given him more time with Cassandra.”  
“Mom, don’t do this to yourself,” Jessica said with a sad sigh, hating what Scott’s emotional abuse and manipulations had done to her mother. “Mom, he had an addiction.”  
Hillary just shook her head to herself again and gently cuddled Cassandra against her chest.   
Jessica sighed and turned towards Bill wanting to change the subject. “What’s for dinner?” She asked him curiously.  
“All your favorites,” Bill replied, smiling over at the birthday girl while he checked on the pasta which was boiling away on the stove. “Chicken fettuccine alfredo with caesar salad.”  
“Thanks, Bill.” Jessica smiled gratefully at Bill and wrapped her arms around him.  
Blll grinned and hugged Jessica in return as Chelsea took Cassandra from Hillary and Hillary scooped up Sophia instead.  
“Hi, sweetie!” Hillary cooed and grinned as Sophia excitedly cooed in return. “Can you say grandma?”  
“No.” Sophia cutely shook her head. “Mama.”  
Hillary chuckled and gently squeezed Sophia. “You look just like your mama.”  
Jessica softly smiled over at her mother and daughter as Hillary leaned down and gently pecked the top of Sophia’s head. 

* * * * * *

“Ugh, I’m stuffed,” Jessica groaned a few hours later after the family had eaten dinner, and they were now all sitting in the living room enjoying the double fudge chocolate birthday cake that Bill had picked up for his and Jessica’s birthdays. “Dinner was fantastic.” She put her empty plate down on the coffee table. “I don’t think I could eat another bite. Thank you _so_ much, Bill.” She smiled gratefully over at her stepfather.   
Considering the way the day had started and the circumstances that they were celebrating under, it had turned out to be a pretty nice birthday, all things considered, Jessica thought to herself.  
“You’re very welcome,” Bill replied, smiling softly over at his stepdaughter, “I love you, honey. Happy Birthday.”  
“I love you, too,” Jessica happily said. She scooted over on the couch and wrapped her arms around him. “And Happy Birthday to you, too, Bill.” The two of them had always enjoyed celebrating their birthdays together, seeing as their special days were only a couple of days apart.   
Bill smiled softly to himself and gently squeezed Jessica in return. “Thank you, honey.” He leaned over and gently pecked Jessica’s cheek.  
“I’m glad I was with all of you for my birthday,” Jessica said, smiling over at the rest of her family. She let out a bittersweet chuckle. “Even though the circumstances suck.”  
“My baby,” Hillary said, smiling nostalgically over at her oldest daughter. “I can’t believe that twenty-three years ago, I was still scared to death of becoming a mother.” She chuckled to herself at the memory. “I didn’t even have your crib set up yet when my water broke.” She chuckled again.  
“You did a good job with me, though,” Jessica assured her mother. “I think,” she jokingly added and chuckled.  
“Yeah, I’m not so sure,” Hillary replied, sighing sadly, still feeling guilty that she had forgotten Jessica’s birthday.  
“Mom.” Jessica sighed harshly, hating to see her mother acting this way. “Mom, stop it. I’m awesome and I didn’t get that way alone. Okay?”  
Hillary managed to laugh. “You are so full of yourself and _I_ didn’t make you that way.”  
“Oh, yes, you did,” Jessica teased with a smirk.  
“Not true,” Hillary retorted, smirking at Jessica in return as she gave her daughter a dubious look.  
“True!” Jessica playfully countered, sticking her tongue out at Hillary. “You always told me I was the best at everything.” She jokingly shrugged.  
Hillary chuckled. “Well, that was a mistake,” she teased.  
“I don’t think so.” Jessica playfully winked at Hillary.  
“Are you okay, Chels?” Bill suddenly said, looking over at his other daughter, realizing that she had seemed distracted and had been kind of quiet throughout dinner. She still look worried over something as she ate her cake, looking deep in thought.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chelsea answered but her sigh said otherwise. “Um, can I talk to you guys about something?”  
“Anything,” Hillary said, giving Chelsea a worried and concerned look.  
“Yeah, what’s going on, sweetie?” Bill asked, giving his daughter an equally concerned look.  
“I don’t want to go back to school next week,” Chelsea admitted with a sad sigh. “I know that you guys already paid the tuition for the fall semester but I want to take a semester off and stay here with you guys. And be here for you right now, Mom.”  
“Oh, Chelsea.” Hillary frowned and gave Chelsea a grateful and loving look. “That is a very sweet thought, honey. But I’m fine. I’ll be fine. You need to go back to California and go to school. Okay?”  
“But I want to stay here with you guys,” Chelsea insisted. “ I've loved being home with all of you this summer and being able to spend time so much quality time with Hayley, and Cassandra, and Sophia. I can take a semester off, you guys. It’s no big deal. I’ll just graduate a little bit later but its fine. Really. And I'll get a job and pay you guys back for the tuition. I promise."   
“No, Chels,” Bill replied. “Your mother is right. It's not about the money but you need to go back to school, sweetheart. You should just focus on being a college student right now. Jess and I can take care of your mother.”  
Hillary sighed, not liking the idea of needing to be taken care of. She could take care of herself. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay honey?” She said to Chelsea, being able to tell from her daughter’s expression that Chelsea still wasn’t convinced.  
“Fine.” Chelsea sighed and took another bite of birthday cake.  
“Um, I’m going to go pick out an outfit for my date next week,” Jessica said, to break the tension that had suddenly appeared in the room. “Want to help me?” She asked Hillary.  
Hillary nodded as she finished her piece of cake. “Sure, sweetheart.”  
Jessica nodded and got up from the couch. “I think I’m going to wear one of the new dresses you bought me today.”  
Hillary nodded as she also stood up from the couch and followed Jessica upstairs to Jessica’s bedroom. She gently ran her fingers through Chelsea’s long curly hair as they passed her on their way over to the staircase.  
  


* * * * * *

“Do you like this one?” Jessica asked a few minutes later, pulling a dark gray cocktail dress out of a shopping bag and holding it up to her body as she admired how it looked in her bedroom’s full-length mirror.  
Hillary nodded. “That one’s nice.”  
Jessica nodded and set it aside as an option to wear on her upcoming date.  
“I hope you have fun,” Hillary suddenly said, taking a seat on the edge of Jessica’s bed.  
“Thanks!” Jessica smiled softly over at her mother before she sighed and chuckled. “I’m lonely, Mama.”  
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Hillary said quietly, frowning slightly. She remembered those days from when Jessica was younger, before they had met Bill. She remembered how lonely being a single mother was and felt; the deep ache or pang she would feel in her chest whenever she saw a happy family out and about in the world. But everything had worked out for Hillary and all her dreams came true when she had met Bill, so she hoped that the same thing would happen for Jessica one day.  
Jessica shrugged. “It’s fine. I have Sophia and all of you. It’s just not the same thing as having a partner, you know?”  
“I know.” Hillary nodded understandingly.  
“So I guess I’ll see how things with James go,” Jessica said, pulling another dress out of its shopping bag. A black cocktail dress this time. “He’s really cute and handsome, Mom.” She blushed slightly and giggled.  
“Well, I can’t wait to meet him one day,” Hillary replied, smiling softly over at Jessica, happy that her daughter was happy.  
“And I can’t wait for you to meet him.” Jessica grinned excitedly over at Hillary in return.  
“It’s nice to see you so happy, honey.”  
“I want you to be happy, too, Mama.”  
Hillary sighed and shrugged. “I’m trying, honey.”  
“I think Bill could make you happy again,” Jessica simply stated.  
Hillary nodded in agreement and looked down at her lap. “I think so, too, sweetheart,” she quietly whispered.  
Jessica smiled to herself and sat down on the bed next to her mother. She leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s cheek. “Thank you so much for today, Mom. It ended up being a great birthday.”  
“You’re very welcome, sweetheart.” Hillary tenderly smiled at Jessica and wrapped her arms around her daughter, gently squeezing her. “I'm glad you enjoyed your special day. I love you.” She softly pecked Jessica’s cheek.  
“I love you, too, Mom.”  
“Happy Birthday, Kitty Cat.”

To Be Continued... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to include some more happy family stuff in this chapter but I promise, Billary romance scenes are coming up in the next chapter or two! I know my pacing is slow. Sorry for drawing things out LOL but thank you for your patience! Hopefully it will be worth the wait. 
> 
> I'm glad you are all still enjoying the story (and using it as a distraction from this crazy world we live in haha as am I) and I hope everybody has a great rest of their weekend! :) 
> 
> See you next time!


	40. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, its been a minute you guys! I was really tired from work and decided to take a little break from writing that turned into a longer break than I originally intended! So, my apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. It was mostly ready to go for the past few days and I just didn't have a chance to post it until now, oops. But on with the story! I hope you guys enjoy. I think you will ;)  
> And hopefully my little break restored my motivation and I can get back to writing and posting regularly again :)

The next day, Hillary took a deep breath and squared her shoulders back, steeling herself as she prepared to enter the coffee shop where she had arranged to meet Scott’s sister. With Cassandra’s car seat in one arm, she pushed open the door to the coffee shop with her free hand and found Barbara already sitting at a table. Hillary tentatively waved at her as she approached, causing Barbara to tentatively wave back.  
“Hi,” Hillary greeted, as she put Cassandra’s car seat down and took a seat across from Barbara.  
“Hello,” Barbara tersely greeted in return.  
Barbara had already ordered a coffee for each of them.  
“So, how are you holding up?” Hillary asked, wrapping her hands around the steaming cup of black coffee in front of her.  
“I’m doing okay, all things considered.” Barbara shrugged slightly. “You have brothers so you can assume how I’m holding up.”  
Hillary’s brow furrowed and she nodded. “I know. I’m so sorry, Barbara.”  
“You should be.”  
“This was my fault. I know,” Hillary replied with a sigh. “But I want Cassandra to know her father’s family.”  
Barbara glanced down at Cassandra who was happily and quietly cooing away in her car seat.  
“Do you want to hold her?” Hillary offered.  
Barbara frowned. “Oh, I don’t know.” She sighed to herself. “I don’t want to get too attached.”  
“Barbara, I want you to be a part of her life,” Hillary insisted, staring softly over at her sister-in-law. “Really.”  
“You say that now,” Barbara said shortly.  
“I mean it,” Hillary argued. “You can come visit her or she can go and spend the occasional weekend with you. Maybe she can even spend some holidays with your family. We can play it by ear.” Upon realizing that Barbara still didn’t look convinced, Hillary was quick to add: “I want her to have aunts and uncles and cousins.”  
“But you didn’t want her to have a father,” Barbara sharply retorted, glaring at Hillary.  
“Yes I did!” Hillary argued, her voice cracking slightly. “ _Of course_ I did! I did not want this to happen, Barbara. I _begged_ Scott not to leave my house that night. I knew he was in no condition to drive.”  
Barbara shook her head. “No. You told my brother that you were leaving him for your ex-husband and that he could see his daughter twice a month. How the hell did you think _that_ was going to go over?”  
“Barbara, that’s not true,” Hillary firmly retorted. This meeting definitely wasn’t going as planned so far. “I told Scott that he could see her as much as he wanted to. I tried my best to stick it out with Scott for as long as I could but you have no idea how difficult it was for me to live with him. Especially towards the end.”  
Barbara shook her head in disgust. “That’s bullshit, Hillary and you know it. He knew he had a drug problem and he was _trying_ to get better. He needed his wife’s support but he didn’t get it.”  
“He had my support, Barbara,” Hillary argued back. “You don’t even know half of what I was going through.”  
“I don’t care what _you_ went through,” Barbara snapped back. “I just know that my brother never would have driven in his condition if he had been his normal, happy, sober self.”  
“Barbara.” Hillary harshly sighed as she tried to reason with Scott’s sister. “I couldn’t stay with your brother. Especially with Cassandra in the picture. When he was high on drugs he was dangerous and I was terrified that something would happen...That he would hurt somebody.”  
Of course somebody had gotten hurt in the end, but it had been Scott himself.  
“No, you’re a selfish bitch!” Barbara suddenly yelled, causing other patrons inside the coffee shop to stare at the two women, as they tried to figure out what was going on. “You knew he was trying to get better. For you and Cassandra. But instead, you just left him when he needed you the _most_.”  
“Barbara, he _hurt_ me,” Hillary firmly argued in return. “He nearly physically assaulted me on more than one occcasion when he was high. I was scared for my life, truth be told. I was so terrified he would hurt either Cassandra or myself while he was high and not even realize it. Okay?”  
She took a sip of her coffee to settle her nerves, hoping she had gotten through to Barbara as she took some calming deep breaths.  
“Yes, and he was going to get clean,” Barbara insisted in return. “I understand you leaving him when he was doing drugs, because yes, he was a different person when he was high. But you know he wouldn’t have done any of the things he did while sober.”  
Hillary harshly sighed upon realizing that she wasn’t getting through to Barbara. “I know he wouldn’t have but he refused to get clean, Barbara. I told him if he got clean, he could see Cassandra as much as he wanted. _I_ just couldn’t be with him anymore.”  
“Hillary, you don’t lead someone on the way you did, only to later dump them,” Barbara replied, looking equally irritated with her sister-in-law. “My brother is dead because of your selfishness.”  
“I didn’t lead him on!” Hillary gave Barbara an incredulous look. “Barbara, I told him that if he didn’t get clean, I would leave him. He knew that, and he continued to do drugs anyway.”  
“Stop fooling yourself, Hillary,” Barbara retorted. “You knew you wanted to leave my brother even before he relapsed.” She sighed. “Scott saw the emails you and your ex-husband sent to each other right before you got pregnant with Cassandra.”  
Hillary was taken aback, having no idea that Scott had been snooping and invading her privacy by reading her emails but she honestly wasn’t surprised. She nervously swallowed before she responded. “Barbara, I swear I was in love with your brother. Totally head over heels in love. At least at first. Those emails to Bill were pretty mundane for the most part.” The last part wasn’t exactly true but she didn’t want to upset Barbara further. “We mostly talked about the kids and other trivial items. I wanted to be with Scott then. I swear.” She took a sip of her coffee before she soldiered on. “I never cheated on your brother and in fact, I still haven’t slept with Bill.” She knew she had no need to have to defend herself to Barbara, it was none of Barbara’s business what she did in her private life, but she felt compelled to anyways.  
“Look you can try to explain yourself all you want, Hillary, but you’re still the one at fault here.” She gulped down the rest of her coffee before she continued. “Now take me to your house so that I can get my brother’s belongings.”  
  


* * * * * *

“Look, Barbara,” Hillary started as she drove them both back to her house. “I’m sorry for what happened and I’m sorry that you blame me. It isn’t entirely my fault though.”  
“Whatever, Hillary.” Barbara stared straight ahead and rolled her eyes.  
“I didn’t want him to choose drugs over me and our daughter, Barbara,” Hillary replied with a regretful sigh. “I didn’t want him to leave our daughter without her father. I begged him not to do drugs and not to drive drunk that night.”  
“My brother is dead because you broke his heart, Hillary.” Barbara glared at her sister-in-law out of the corner of her eye.  
“No, he broke _my_ heart!” Hillary corrected as she stopped at a red light. “He did drugs, he cheated on me, he tried to physically assault me. All I did was confide in an old friend. I never cheated!”  
“And he was going to get better!” Barbara argued in return. “He never meant to do any of those things. It was the drugs!”  
“ _Maybe_ he would have gotten better,” Hillary retorted, knowing there was no way to know for sure whether Scott would have gotten clean and stayed sober if he hadn’t passed away. “And if he had, I would have let him be a part of Cassandra’s life. I just couldn’t stay married to him any longer. You have _no idea_ how hard it was for me, being married to your brother.” Hillary shook her head in frustration.  
“Oh, boo hoo! Poor you!” Barbara sarcastically retorted. She scoffed. “Yeah, I bet a life where Scott gave you and your daughters everything you could ever want was _so_ difficult.”   
“Barbara, no amount of money would have made staying with your brother worth it for me. I really didn’t care about your brother’s money.” Hillary was now annoyed that her sister-in-law was suddenly trying to paint her out to be some kind of a golddigger.  
“He wasn’t really the kind of man he was when he was on drugs. He was a good man when he was clean,” Barbara argued. “And you know that, too. Yes, he had an addiction but he was trying to get better for you.” Her voice cracked suddenly.  
“I tried to be understanding, Barbara. I really did,” Hillary gently explained. “I tried to help him get better but I just couldn’t take it anymore.”  
“Well, I hope you’re happy now,” Barbara snipped, glaring at Hillary out of the corner of her eye. “Congratulations. You got what you wanted, Hillary.”  
“I did not want things to end this way!” Hillary argued.  
“Well you talk about him like he was the devil in human form,” Barbara pointed out with a disgusted look on her face.  
“I don’t think that,” Hillary retorted incredulously. “I just don’t think I should be blamed for wanting to get out of the marriage.”  
“Okay, well just keep in mind that my brother is dead because you couldn’t suck it up,” Barbara sneered in disgust.  
“No, Barbara. No, I won’t keep that in mind,” Hillary replied as they arrived at her house and she pulled into the roundabout driveway. “I loved your brother at one time and he was the father of my child. I sure as hell never wished death on him.”  
“But you didn’t do anything to stop him from driving that night!” Barbara argued.  
“I did everything in my power to stop him!” Hillary insisted as she finished parking the car.  
“Are you serious, Hillary?” Barbara scoffed again. “You couldn’t have at least faked that you would take him back so that he wouldn’t have left your house and driven while under the influence that night?”  
“I tried to reason with him that night,” Hillary pointed out. “But he wouldn’t listen to anything I was saying.”  
“Whatever, Hillary.” Barbara rolled her eyes in disgust before she opened her car door. “I’m done talking to you,” she added, before she slammed the car door shut and stormed into the house. 

“Uh-oh,” Hayley said to Hillary as Hillary walked inside the house a few steps behind Barbara. Barbara had already stormed upstairs to collect Scott’s belongings.  
“Yeah, uh-oh is right,” Hillary said with a sigh as she took off her shoes. She grabbed Hayley’s hand and went to join the rest of her family in the living room.  
“What is her problem?” Chelsea asked, staring in the direction that Barbara had stormed off towards.  
Hillary just shook her head to herself. “Just let her blow off some steam. She’s had a rough couple of days.”  
Chelsea just frowned and nodded.  
“I’m going to go put Cassandra down for a nap,” Hillary said, needing a distraction.  
Chelsea nodded and went back to watching cartoons with Bill and Hayley.  
  


* * * * *

Once Cassandra had been rocked to sleep and put down for her nap, Hillary decided to try to find Barbara and check on her. She found her a few minutes later, putting things into a box in the master bedroom. She was quietly crying to herself.  
Hillary sadly sighed as she entered the room and stood across from Barbara. “I’m really sorry, Barbara,” she quietly said.  
Barbara just shook her head to herself as she continued packing.  
“Can I get you anything?” Hillary gently offered, giving her sister-in-law a sympathetic stare.  
Barbara shook her head again and sniffled. “Um, you can keep some of this if you want. It’s more yours than it is mine, really.”  
“No, take what you want,” Hillary insisted. “You were his older sister.” She was probably just going to donate whatever Barbara didn’t want to a charity anyways.  
Barbara silently nodded her thanks, causing Hillary to nod back in return.  
“Cassandra looks so much like him,” Barbara said a moment later, her voice cracking with emotion.  
“I know,” Hillary said softly as she quietly sighed to herself and frowned.  
“She’s really beautiful, Hillary,” Barbara quietly replied before she herself sighed. “Scott always wanted kids, you know?”  
Hillary nodded and looked down at the ground. “I know.”  
“He would have been a good father if he had gotten sober,” Barbara softly remarked as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I know that he only knew her for a short while but he absolutely adored Cassandra.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I mean it, Barbara. I want you and your family to be a part of her life.”  
“Thank you,” Barbara quietly said, giving Hillary a grateful expression.  
“Of course.” Hillary nodded and sighed. “I wish things were different, Barbara.”  
“Me, too,” Barbara nodded in agreement. Her voice cracked again as she added, “He was my baby brother.”  
“I’m so sorry,” was all Hillary managed to say, as the conversation was bringing all her feelings of guilt and anger back up to the surface.  
“I told him that I thought that the two of you were rushing into things,” Barbara admitted, shaking her head to herself. “Even though you were pregnant at the time, you two didn’t have to get married so quickly.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement and bit her lip. “I think I knew, somewhere deep inside, that he wasn’t the right man for me.” If only she had listened to her gut.  
Barbara nodded understandingly. “I tried to warn him that he was just a rebound for you.”  
“I’m sorry,” Hillary repeated, knowing that Barbara was right. “I did love him at the time though.”  
“And that’s why you broke his heart, Hillary,” Barbara sarcastically retorted.  
“I wasn’t the only one left broken hearted,” Hillary quietly replied.  
“Whatever, Hillary.” Barbara rolled her eyes and continued packing Scott’s things.  
Hillary just nodded and decided to give Barbara some space and privacy while she finished packing. “I’ll be downstairs.”  
  


* * * * * 

A few hours later, after Barbara had finished packing some of Scott’s belongings and had gotten to spend some time with Cassandra, Hillary had just driven her back to her hotel. After dropping Barbara off, she came back home to find Bill with Cassandra, Sophia and Hayley in the living room. The two older girls were watching _The Little Mermaid_ while Cassandra was napping in her bassinet and Bill was working on a crossword puzzle with Sophia snuggled up in his lap.   
“Hi, Mama!” Hayley happily said, upon seeing her mother enter the living room.  
“Hi, baby girl!” Hillary smiled at her daughter and granddaughter as she gave each of them a peck on the forehead. ”Hi, Bill,” she quietly, almost self-consciously added.  
“Hey,” Bill greeted, looking up from his crossword puzzle to softly smile over at Hillary as she sat down on the couch beside him and Sophia.  
“Is she okay?” Hillary asked, nodding her head towards Sophia who was on the verge of falling asleep in Bill’s lap.  
Bill nodded and sighed. He gently rubbed Sophia’s back. “Yeah, she’s fine. But it seems like she’s coming down with something.”  
“Oh, no,” Hillary said, frowning as she reached over and felt her granddaughter's forehead. “She does feel warm.”  
Bill sighed again. “Yeah, and Jess said she’s been kind of sniffly since this morning.”  
“Aww, poor baby.” Hillary frowned again. She wanted to give her granddaughter a cuddle but she didn’t want to risk disturbing her since the sleepy toddler was content in Bill’s lap.  
“Yeah.” Bill frowned and gently squeezed his granddaughter. “Jess ran to the store to buy diapers but she should be back in a few minutes.”  
Hillary nodded understandingly and harshly sighed. “I’m pretty sure Barbara hates me.”  
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Bill replied with a sigh of his own.  
Hillary shrugged. “Everything she said to me was true. It’s _my_ fault that Scott is dead.”  
“That’s not true,” Bill firmly retorted. “He was sick, honey.”  
“Yeah, but I could have stopped him from leaving that night,” Hillary said, frowning to herself.  
“Please don’t think that way, baby,” Bill replied in a soothing tone.  
“I could have though.” Hillary shook her head to herself. “And now Barbara, Eric, and Michelle don’t have their brother.”  
“Well, they still have each other,” Bill pointed out.  
“Yeah, but I can’t imagine how I would feel if I lost one of my brothers. Or if God forbid, something happened to one of our kids and they lost one of their siblings…” She trailed off and shook her head, not being able to go there. “God, this was all my fault.”  
“Hillary, please stop doing this to yourself,” Bill quietly pleaded. “It wasn’t your fault, Hillary. Scott made his choices.”  
“No, Barbara was right. I should have just sucked things up and stayed with him.”  
“And that would have been no way to live your life, Hillary,” Bill pointed out.  
“I don’t care,” Hillary said, shrugging as she flopped back against the couch. “He would have at least been alive. Cassandra would have had a father. Barbara, Eric, and Michelle would still have their brother.”  
“Hillary,” Bill tried, sadly sighing to himself.  
Hillary just shook her head to herself, and closed her eyes, as the guilt washed over her.  
Bill put his crossword puzzle down on the coffee table and reached over with his free hand to softly stroke Hillary’s hair.  
“Thanks,” Hillary gratefully said.  
“Of course,” Bill quietly said, as he reassuringly gave her right shoulder a squeeze, causing Hillary to relax slightly.  
“Hi,” they suddenly heard, as Jessica arrived back home. After leaving the box of diapers she had bought by the front door, she joined her family in the living room.  
“Hey, honey,” Hillary said, looking up as Jessica entered the room. “Barbara just left.”  
Jessica nodded and took a seat in an armchair across from her parents and daughter. “How did things with her go?”  
“Terribly,” Hillary admitted with a bitter chuckle.  
“I’m sorry.” Jessica’s brow furrowed as she frowned.  
Hillary shrugged. “It’s not like what she was saying was untrue. Scott’s dead because of me.”  
“That isn’t true, Mom,” Jessica said in a soft but firm tone of voice. “He was sick, Mama. He had a disease.”  
“Oh, stop giving me that crap,” Hillary retorted with a slight eye roll.  
Jessica sighed and decided to try another tactic. “I’m going to go lay down upstairs for a bit. Want to go take a nap with me?”  
Hillary considered the offer for a moment. A nap before dinner after the day she had had _did_ sound nice. She nodded after a moment. “Sure.” She looked towards Bill. “You’ll be okay with Hayley and the babies?” She checked.  
“Of course,” Bill assured her with a gentle smile. “We’ll be just fine. You two go and get some rest.”  
  


* * * * * *

“Ugh, I’m so sad,” Hillary admitted as her and Jessica crawled into Jessica’s bed together a few minutes later.  
Jessica frowned to herself and sighed as she pulled the covers up and around herself and her mother. “Scott’s death is not your fault, Mom.”  
“I just feel so awful,” Hillary admitted as Jessica wrapped her arms around her mother. She suddenly teared up.  
“Hey Mom, it’s okay!” Jessica soothed, noticing her mother’s tears. “Don’t cry.”  
“I did this!” Hillary sniffled. “I did this and now Cassandra doesn’t have a father because of me!”  
“Mom.” Jessica harshly sighed and soothingly rubbed Hillary’s back. “Mom, stop it. It wasn’t your fault. Not at all. Okay? He had a disease.”  
“Don’t give me that,” Hillary repeated before she sighed and sniffled again. “I just want to go to sleep.”  
“Then go to sleep,” Jessica urged, cuddling up to her mother. She softly kissed the top of Hillary’s head.  
“You’re so sweet,” Hillary softly smiled to herself.   
Jessica smiled to herself in return as Hillary lay down and closed her eyes. “Well, I try.”  
  


* * * * *

When Hillary woke up from her nap an hour and a half later, Jessica was gone and her side of the bed was cold and empty. Hillary crawled out of bed and went in search of the rest of her family. Upon going downstairs, she found them all hanging out with each other in the living room.  
“Hi, Mom,” Chelsea softly greeted, noticing as her mother came down the stairs and entered the living room.  
“Hi, sweetie,” Hillary greeted in return. “What are you guys up to?”  
Jessica shrugged. “Nothing much. Just hanging out and talking.”  
Hillary nodded and took a seat on the couch in between Jessica and Bill.  
“Are you okay?” Jessica checked. When she had woken up from her nap shortly before Hillary woke up, her mother had been sleeping so soundly and peacefully that Jessica hadn’t wanted to disturb her slumber.  
Hillary shrugged as she got up from the couch to go check on Cassandra. “Yeah. I’m fine, I guess.” She peered into Cassandra’s bassinet and gently scooped up the awake and alert newborn. “Hi, baby girl!” She quietly cooed.  
Sophia cooed happily as Hillary took a seat back down on the couch with Cassandra in her arms.  
“Is she feeling better?” Hillary asked Jessica.  
Jessica shrugged. “Yeah, a bit. Her fever’s gone down a little.”  
Hillary nodded. “Well, that’s good.”  
Sophia crawled over towards Hillary and reached her arms out for her grandmother. Hillary gently passed Cassandra over to Bill so that she could pick up her granddaughter.  
Sophia squealed happily as Hillary scooped her up and got her settled comfortably in her arms. She gave the toddler a gentle squeeze.  
“No, Mama!” Hayley suddenly whined. “No babies!”  
Jessica and Hillary both sighed upon realizing that Hayley was suddenly jealous again.  
“Stop it, Hayley,” Hillary gently said.  
Hayley just whined in response and ran in the direction of the playroom, causing Hillary to sigh softly to herself.  
“She’s such a little drama queen sometimes,” Hillary remarked as Bill passed Cassandra over to Chelsea so that he could go after Hayley, not wanting her to play in the playroom unsupervised.  
  


“Daddy!” Hayley whined as Bill entered the playroom a minute later.  
“Come on, sweetheart,” Bill said with a gentle sigh. He reached out his hand towards his daughter. “You need a nap before dinner.”  
“No, no nap!” Hayley whined. “No babies and no nap! Just Mama!”  
“Yes, its naptime,” Bill urged, scooping her up when he realized that she wasn’t going to come upstairs with him of her own accord. “Come on, let’s go.”  
With Hayley kicking and screaming the entire time, Bill carried her upstairs to her bedroom.  
“Mama’s mean,” Hayley suddenly said as Bill put her down on her bed.  
“Oh, Hayley.” Bill sighed and wrapped his arms around his daughter. “Mama loves you _very_ much. She’s not mean. Just because Sophia and Cassandra are here, that doesn’t mean that she loves you any less. She loves all three of you equally.”  
Hayley just shook her head as she lay down.  
Bill sighed to himself, realizing that his youngest daughter was just crabby from exhaustion. “Go to sleep, Hayls.”  
Hayley didn’t object and closed her eyes right away, clearly exhausted. Bill pulled her blankets up and around her and lightly pecked her forehead as she quickly drifted off to sleep. He flicked her light switch off on his way out of the room and re-joined the rest of his family downstairs. 

“Is she okay?” Jessica asked as Bill came back to the living room.  
Bill nodded as he took a seat back down on the couch. “She’s fine. She just needs a nap.”  
Hillary suddenly teared up, feeling guilty that on top of everything else going on, Hayley was once again jealous of her niece and her baby sister.  
“Hey, Hill,” Bill quietly said, noticing Hillary’s tears. “It’s okay, Hill. Don’t cry, sweetheart. She knows that you love her.” He reached over and gently rubbed his ex-wife’s back.  
“Apparently she doesn’t!” Hillary sobbed out. She sniffled. “Wow...I really suck at this whole parenting thing, huh?"  
“Aww, mama,” Jessica said. “You definitely do not suck at parenting. I’m awesome, remember?” She playfully smirked, trying to lighten the mood.  
“Yeah, I did such an awesome job with you that you got pregnant in college!” Hillary sarcastically retorted. The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself from saying them.  
“Oh, ouch.” Jessica tried to laugh her mother’s comment off but the words stung. She flinched and teared up, the hurt from her mother’s comment evident across her face.  
Suddenly realizing what she had said, Hillary gave Jessica, Chelsea, and Bill an aghast look. “I didn’t mean that, Jess,” Hillary quietly said, feeling horrified that she had said something so awful.  
“Yes...you did,” Jessica simply said. She sniffled. “And you’ve probably been wanting to say it for a while.”  
Wordlessly she got up and went upstairs. They heard her bedroom door slam shut a few seconds later.  
“Great,” Hillary sarcastically said, upon realizing that she had messed up _yet_ again. “Fucking great.” She rolled her eyes, frustrated with herself. “I can’t believe I said that.” She looked over at Bill and Chelsea. “You guys know that I didn’t mean that, right? Oh God, I don’t know why I said that…”  
Bill sighed, knowing him and Chelsea weren’t the ones that Hillary needed to be apologizing too. “I’ll go talk to her,” he offered, thinking that maybe he could try to mend fences first before Hillary and Jessica talked it out.  
Hillary nodded. “Thanks. I'm going to bed.” It had been such an awful day that she didn’t even care that it wasn’t even dinner time yet.  
Bill nodded, knowing it had been a rough day for Hillary. “I’ll handle dinner.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary repeated before she gently scooped up Cassandra from her bassinet and went upstairs to the master bedroom with the newborn.  
Meanwhile, Bill grabbed Sophia and went upstairs to speak with his stepdaughter.  
  


* * * * * *

A few minutes later he found Jessica sitting cross-legged on her bed, quietly sobbing to herself.  
“Oh, Jessie.” Bill sighed sadly as he entered his stepdaughter’s bedroom.  
“She’s such a bitch sometimes!” Jessica angrily exclaimed through her tears. “I hate her!”  
“Stop it, Jess,” Bill said quietly as he sat down on the edge of Jessica’s bed and put Sophia down in between himself and Jessica. “You don't mean that. You’re her best friend. She didn’t mean what she said, honey. If she could take it back, she would.”  
“Oh, _yes,_ she did,” Jessica retorted, shaking her head to herself. “She’s probably wanted to say it ever since I got pregnant.” She sighed quietly to herself and bit her lip. “Sophia’s my _whole_ world but Mom’s right. It was pretty stupid of me to get pregnant while I was still in college.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know why I was so wild back then.”  
“Aww, honey.” Bill reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his stepdaughter’s shoulder. “You weren’t wild. You were in what you thought was a committed relationship with somebody.”  
“Yeah, what a great relationship _that_ turned out to be,” Jessica sarcastically retorted with an eye roll before she harshly sighed and frowned. “Her comment _really_ hurt my feelings, Bill.”  
“I know,” Bill said quietly, frowning to himself. “And I’m sorry that she said that to you. She shouldn’t have. She’s in her bedroom if you want to go talk to her and make things right.”  
Jessica shrugged and grabbed Sophia. “I don’t.” She got the toddler situated comfortably in her lap and gave Sophia a gentle squeeze. “Come on. Let’s go home, baby girl.”  
“You don’t want to stay here tonight?” Bill asked in surprise, not expecting that Jessica would want to go back to her townhouse for the night over this.  
Jessica rolled her eyes again and huffed in frustration. “Not anymore.”  
Bill just nodded understandingly. Maybe it would be good for Jessica and Hillary to have some time and space apart from one another after this, Bill thought to himself. But he wasn’t willing to let Jessica off the hook that easily. “Just go talk to her, Jess.”  
“I will in the morning,” Jessica tried, knowing that her and her mom probably needed some space from each other.  
“No,” Bill said. “ _Now._ ”  
“Ugh, fine.” Jessica quietly groaned to herself before she passed Sophia over to Bill and went off in search of her mother. 

* * * * * *  
  
She found Hillary in bed with Cassandra cuddled up against her chest.  
“Hey,” Jessica quietly said as she entered the room.   
Hillary looked up. “Hi,” she said softly in return as Jessica sat down on the edge of Hillary’s bed.  
“You hate me right now, don’t you?” Hillary asked, her gaze averted.  
“A little bit,” Jessica admitted, but nevertheless, she lay down and cuddled up against Hillary. “Not really though.”  
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Hillary sincerely apologized. “I cannot believe that I said that. I feel absolutely horrible.”  
“It’s okay,” Jessica assured her mother with a soft smile. “I still love you. You’re the best mom ever.”  
“You know that I love you and Sophia with all my heart, right?” Hillary checked.  
“Yeah,” Jessica nodded. “We know.”  
"You're a good mom, Jessica," Hillary affirmed in a quiet voice.   
"Thank you," Jessica replied quietly. "I try."   
"I know you, do, sweetie. And I’m sorry about what I said,” Hillary said. “I didn’t mean it.”  
“It’s okay,” Jessica repeated. "But...I think Sophia and I will go back to my place for the night.”  
“Jess.” Hillary frowned and sighed, feeling guilty that she had driven her daughter away by putting her foot in her mouth. “Don’t go. I love having the two of you around.”  
“No,” Jessica shook her head. “It’s time I go back home. But I’ll visit you tomorrow.”  
“Jessie, please stay,” Hillary tried. “Just for one more night?”  
Jessica sighed, giving in. “Fine. But I’m going back to my place tomorrow.”  
“Thank you,” Hillary quietly said, the gratitude evident on her face that Jessica had forgiven her and was willing to stay after the horrible comment that Hillary had made. “I need you right now, honey.”  
“Okay, mom,” Jessica nodded, wanting to be there for her mother while Hillary was hurting.  
With one arm still wrapped around Cassandra, Hillary reached over and wrapped her other arm around Jessica. She gave Jessica a gentle squeeze.  
“You’ll be okay, Mom,” Jessica whispered, leaning over and gently pecking Hillary’s forehead.  
Hillary nodded and quietly sighed to herself.  
“Let’s go swimming,” Jessica suddenly said, with a half-smile on her face, wanting to cheer her mother up.  
Hillary chuckled. “That came out of left field.”  
“Come on. It’ll be fun,” Jessica urged. “We’ve barely used the swimming pool _all_ summer and now summer’s almost over. If you’re really going to sell this house, we might as well take advantage of everything it has to offer while we still can.” She shrugged.  
Hillary softly smiled. Her daughter had a point. Plus, it was the early evening. They had just enough time to get a swim in before dinner time. She nodded. “Okay. Let’s go swimming.”   
Jessica grinned excitedly. “I’m borrowing one of your bathing suits though.”  
  


* * * * * *  
  
When they came outside in their swimsuits a few minutes later, Bill was sitting on the back patio, enjoying the fresh late summer evening air. He couldn’t help but stare at Hillary in her black one piece swimsuit that hugged her curves in all the right places.  
Hillary smirked when she realized he was ogling her. “Yes, Bill?”  
Bill smirked at his ex-wife in return, being his typical charming and confident self. “Nothing. You’re gorgeous, that’s all.”  
“Oh, hush,” Hillary said, as her cheeks flushed pink.  
“It’s cold!” Jessica shrieked as she started wading into the swimming pool.  
Hillary dipped the toes of her right foot inside the water and agreed. She shivered slightly. “How about we go in the hot tub instead?”  
Jessica nodded in agreement. She got out of the swimming pool and followed her mother a few feet to where the hot tub was located.  
Bill watched as Hillary removed the cover and the two women climbed in.  
“Care to join us?” Hillary asked Bill with a smirk as she settled in and relaxed against the hot tub’s calming, swirling jets.  
Bill smiled and shrugged, happy to have been invited to join his ex-wife and stepdaughter in the hot tub. “Sure.” Since he didn’t have any swimming trunks with him at Hillary’s house and it would be strange for him to wear a pair of Scott’s, he started undressing and stripping down to his boxers instead.  
“You two act like teenagers,” Jessica teased while Bill was undressing. “Just get back together already!” She chuckled.  
There was a pause as Hillary didn’t respond and Jessica added, “Seriously, Mom. What’s stopping you?”  
“I don’t know,” Hillary honestly answered in a quiet tone of voice. She looked down at the swirling water below her. “I feel guilty.”  
Yeah.” Jessica sighed and frowned as Bill finally joined them. “I know.”  
“Is Chelsea watching the girls?” Hillary checked as Bill was climbing in.   
Bill nodded as he sat down and leaned back against the hot tub's edge. "Cassandra and Hayley are napping and Chelsea's about to put Sophia down for a nap, too."   
"I better go check on Sophie," Jessica realized. She also wanted to give her parents some time alone in a rather romantic setting. She smirked at the two of them. "See you guys later." She carefully climbed out of the water and grabbed her towel from the hot tub's edge. She wrapped it around herself as she disappeared inside the house.   
"Well...this is awkward," Hillary commented now that she was left alone with Bill in the hot tub.   
"Why is it awkward?" Bill asked, giving his ex-wife a curious stare. He didn't feel like they were in an awkward situation. In fact, he felt that this was the opposite of an awkward situation.   
"I don't know, Bill." Hillary harshly sighed. "It's awkward because I don't know where we stand right now."  
"Well, that's not my fault," Bill pointed out. He had been doing everything in his power to make sure that Hillary knew that he had every intention of eventually getting back together with her.   
Hillary sighed, feeling guilty knowing that her own walls, fears, and insecurities were the main reasons why her and Bill hadn't reconciled yet. "I'm sorry, Bill," she quietly said.   
"You don't have to apologize," Bill assured her. "I understand." As much as he hated it, he understood why Hillary was still hesitant to officially get back together with him after everything she had been through over the past few years.   
"I'm just so confused right now," Hillary admitted. "My feelings and emotions are still all over the place."   
Bill nodded. "It's okay. I get it, Hillary. Take your time.” He didn’t want her rushing into something that she would later regret.  
“Thanks, Bill.” Hillary smiled gratefully at him.  
Bill just gave her an understanding nod in response.  
“You’ve been working out,” Hillary suddenly commented, as she realized for the first time that it looked like Bill had lost some weight and gained some muscle instead.  
“Yeah.” Bill nodded and continued. “It helps me to clear my head. I’ve been enjoying it.”  
“Well, you look good,” Hillary complimented, smiling weakly over at him.  
“Thank you.” Bill accepted the compliment and gave Hillary a half-smile in return.  
“You’re so muscular,” Hillary remarked, as she reached over and squeezed Bill’s right bicep.  
Bill stared over at Hillary with a look of surprise on his face, not sure how she wanted him to react to that.  
As Hillary averted her gaze, realizing that she might have made Bill feel uncomfortable by her comments and actions, Bill decided to just keep the mood light.  
“It’s okay. You can touch,” he teased.  
“Oh, Bill.” Hillary bitterly chuckled to herself. “I’m sorry. I’m just so confused right now.”  
“In what way?” Bill asked, as he gave Hillary an inquisitive stare.  
“I just have no idea what _we_ are right now,” Hillary explained with a frustrated sigh. “I feel so guilty about Scott and what happened to him but I desperately want to get back together with you, too.”  
“Okay,” Bill chuckled slightly. “Then get back together with me.”  
“I’m not sure its that simple.” Hillary sighed again, a sadder sigh this time.  
“Then we can make it that simple, Hillary. Damn it!” Bill felt a surge of frustration rise within him.   
“Don’t get angry with me,” Hillary asked in a quiet voice. She looked down, feeling bad that she had upset Bill.  
“I’m not angry,” Bill clarified in a more gentle tone. “I’m just a little discouraged, is all. It’s so difficult seeing you every day and not being able to show you and tell you how I feel. I understand that you need to take some time but Hillary…” He stared at Hillary with a vulnerable expression on his face as his voice cracked with emotion slightly. “I’m terrified that at the end of the day, you just don’t want to be with me anymore.”  
“Hey, that’s not true at all, Bill,” Hillary assured Bill in a quiet tone. “I just got out of a horrible relationship, the worst relationship I have ever been in, and I’m just not quite ready yet to jump right back into another relationship. Okay?”  
“See, this is why _I’m_ confused,” Bill explained. “Before Scott passed away, you were one hundred percent ready to leave him for me. But now that he’s dead, you’re acting like the two of you were _so_ in love, and that you had some great love story, or something.”  
Hillary stared over at Bill and let him continue.  
“And I know you cared about him,” Bill went on. “Hell, I’m sure there was a time when you even loved him. But I thought that you were _in love_ with me. I thought that _we_ were soul mates.” Bill looked down and tried not to tear up.  
“Oh, Bill.” Hillary sighed. “We are! Of course we are.”  
“Then let’s get back together!” Bill let out a frustrated sigh.  
“I’m just not ready yet!” Hillary argued.  
“And why not?” Bill pressed, not accepting Hillary’s explanations. “Hillary, _please_.” He gave her a look of desperation.  
“Stop pushing me!” Hillary exclaimed, on the verge of tears.  
“Okay, okay.” Bill backed off, realizing that he had upset his ex. He sighed. “I’m sorry, Hill.”  
“No.” Hillary shook her head and sighed. “ _I_ _’m_ sorry, Bill. I just need some time, still. Okay?”  
Bill nodded. “Fine.” Wordlessly, he stood up from the hot tub and started climbing out. “I’ll see you inside.”  
Hillary nodded and watched him grab his clothes from where he had discarded them and walk away. She sadly sighed to herself before she realized there was no point in sitting in the hot tub by herself. She turned the jets off before she grabbed her towel and climbed out. 

* * * * *

Before going to her own room to dry off and get changed, she decided to go and check on Bill. She found him in the guest room that he had been staying in, changing out of his wet boxers and into dry clothes.  
“I’m sorry that I’m so complicated,” Hillary apologized, standing in the doorway of his bedroom. “But please, Bill. Please don’t give up on me.” She stared at Bill tenderly, hoping that she had gotten her point across.  
Bill looked over at Hillary softly in return. “Oh, Hillary. I would never give up on you. I couldn’t. Never. Not in a million years. Take all the time you need right now. Seriously. I’m sorry if I was pushing you too hard earlier.”  
Hillary nodded and weakly smiled at Bill. “I love you, Bill.”  
“I love you, too.” Bill gave Hillary a soft smile in return before Hillary went to her own bedroom to dry off. 

* * * * *

Hillary had dried off and changed into a pair of black leggings and a simple white T-shirt. She was brushing her hair when Bill came to the master bedroom to check on her a few minutes after their last conversation.  
“Yes?” Hillary asked, noticing Bill approaching her from behind in the reflection of her bedroom's vanity mirror.  
“I know I sound angry but I’m not. Not really,” Bill clarified as he came up behind Hillary and placed a reassuring hand on her left shoulder.  
“Really?” Hillary asked, in a more vulnerable tone of voice than she intended.  
“Truly,” Bill assured her softly. He leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. “Take your time making a decision. Okay?”  
“I’m sorry,” Hillary apologized, with a sigh that was a mixture of sadness and frustration.  
“Don’t apologize,” Bill assured her. “I get it.” He couldn’t imagine what she was going through right now, but he knew that her confusion and mixed emotions were at least warranted.  
Hillary just nodded, glad that Bill was being understanding. “Thanks.” She quietly frowned to herself again and bit her lip, looking down as she did so.  
“Hey, don’t get upset,” Bill whispered, as he soothingly rubbed her left shoulder.  
“I’m not,” Hillary assured him, forcing a smile.  
“I know you better than that,” Bill gently said. He could tell when his ex-wife was upset and was trying to conceal her emotions. “I’m not trying to upset you. You’re just giving me mixed signals, is all.”  
He grabbed her hand and led her over towards the bed where the two of them sat down on the bed's edge together. Bill gently squeezed her hand and took a deep breath, not liking what he had to say next. He was sure that Hillary wouldn’t like it either. “How about we just call it quits for now and I’ll go back to Arkansas for a bit? You can call me whenever you’re ready, okay?”  
“But I don’t want that,” Hillary admitted quietly as she reassuringly squeezed Bill’s hand in return.  
“Then please stop stringing me along, Hillary,” Bill begged, staring at Hillary vulnerably.  
“No, you don’t understand, Bill,” Hillary clarified. “I don’t want you to leave, period.”  
“What _do_ you want then?” Bill asked, willing to do anything and everything possible to make Hillary happy again, and to get her back for good.  
“You.” Hillary teared up as she finally admitted it out loud.  
“But you don’t want me,” Bill retorted with a confused expression on his face. “At least not right now.”  
“But I do,” Hillary whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I desperately want you back. I _need_ you, Bill.”  
“But not yet,” Bill pointed out. “So why make me go through this right now if we’re not going to get back together any time soon?”  
“But I _do_ want you, Bill,” Hillary affirmed. “Eventually. So please don’t run away to Arkansas. Okay?”  
“I’m not running away,” Bill clarified. “I’ll stay in Connecticut as long as you and our children are here. But please just call me whenever you’re ready to get back together. I need to get on with my life, Hillary. I’m tired of this back and forth, and all of these mixed signals from you right now, Hillary.”  
“Please, just give me some time, Bill,” Hillary begged, as she looked over at Bill and stared at him vulnerably. “Please wait for me, Bill. Please.”  
“A week ago there was no wait,” Bill pointed out.  
“I’m just so emotional right now, Bill,” Hillary explained as tears continued to freely roll down her cheeks. “I’m so afraid of starting something new with you and screwing it all up. I don’t want to screw it up for us this time.”  
“Hillary, we won’t screw it up,” Bill gently assured her, as he gave her hand another gentle squeeze. “ _I_ screwed it up the last time and I don’t have any intentions of screwing up ever again.”  
“I’m afraid I’ll make you unhappy,” Hillary whispered. She didn’t need to verbalize the second part of her thought which was that she was scared of Bill being unhappy in their marriage to the point that he would step out on their relationship yet again. “I’m such a different person now than the woman you originally fell in love with. I’m not the Hillary you once knew and loved.” Bill and Scott’s - mostly Scott’s - many betrayals had deeply scarred and affected her. They had changed her. “I need to find myself again. I need to be Hillary Rodham for a bit.”  
“Then be Hillary Rodham,” Bill insisted. “I know that you’ve changed and you’re a different woman now, and I don’t care. I love you just the way you are. Okay?”  
“Yeah, right,” Hillary scoffed.  
“I’m serious, Hillary,” Bill replied softly. “I love you. Not just one version of you. Not just the woman you used to be. But the woman you are today. I love every. Single. Part of you.”  
Hillary stared softly and vulnerably into Bill’s deep blue eyes as he leaned in closer to her.  
“I’d really like to kiss you right now,” Hillary suddenly admitted out loud in a hushed tone.  
“Then kiss me,” Bill whispered back.  
Hillary nodded before she leaned in some more and gave her ex-husband a deep, passionate kiss on the lips. As Bill deepened the kiss and passionately kissed her back, she cupped his cheeks with her hands.   
While Bill wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist, and started running his hands up and down her back, Hillary got lost in the kiss. Bill pulled away slowly, as they broke for air a few seconds later.  
“Wow,” Hillary remarked, at a loss for words. That kiss had been just what she had needed.  
“Yeah,” Bill chuckled and smiled. “Wow, indeed.” He gently stroked her hair as they kissed once more.  
“I love you so much, Hillary,” Bill said after they had broken apart from their second kiss. “It physically _hurts_ me, how much I love you.”  
“I love you, too.” Hillary cupped Bill’s cheeks again and stared deeply into his eyes.  
Bill wrapped his arms around Hillary once more and gently squeezed her. “Marry me,” He whispered. He quietly chuckled before he added, “Again.”  
Hillary nodded, as she was swept up in the moment.  
Bill grinned. “Is that a yes?”  
“Yes!” Hillary whispered, as she wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck in return. She started kissing him again. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” She said in between kisses.  
“I don’t have an engagement ring for you,” Bill realized.  
“I don’t need a ring,” Hillary insisted.  
“We can go shopping and pick one out together,” Bill suggested.  
Hillary nodded, and grinned excitedly, still caught up in the moment. “Sure.”  
Bill gently stroked her cheek with his right thumb. “You are amazing, Hillary Rodham. You are absolutely incredible and you have no idea just how much you mean to me.”  
Swept up in his own euphoria, he didn’t notice Hillary’s facial expression change as reality came crashing down and she was brought back down to earth. “I’m sorry. I can’t marry you right now, Bill.”  
Bill frowned upon hearing these words. “What?” Less than a minute ago, the both of them had been euphorically happy.  
Hillary shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”  
“You’re still not ready,” Bill realized with a stricken expression on his face. He knew that the moment had been too good to be true.  
Hillary nodded. “I’m not ready,” she repeated. “But _I am_ in love with you. Okay? So please. Wait for me.”  
“I will, Hillary.” Bill nodded, feeling at least more hopeful about his and Hillary’s relationship prospects than he had felt a few hours earlier. “Would you like to date me? All over again?”  
Hillary nodded and gave Bill a tender smile. “That sounds wonderful.” She liked that idea. They could rebuild their relationship and get back to where they once were, while still taking things slow and going at their own pace.  
“How does tonight sound?” Bill asked, with a hopeful expression on his face. “Do you want to go out with me tonight?”  
Hillary weakly smiled and nodded. “Tonight would be perfect.” She needed a nice night out after the day she had had.  
Bill tucked a stray strand of hair behind Hillary’s ear before he gave her a short, gentle, soft kiss on the lips.  
“Thank you for being so understanding, Bill,” Hillary gratefully said once the kiss had ended. “I want to hopefully re-marry you again, eventually. I just can’t _right now_.”  
“But maybe some time in the future?” Bill checked with furrowed brows.   
“I don’t know, Bill,” Hillary honestly answered. “Maybe. I can’t get hurt again. I don’t _want_ to get hurt again. You have to understand.”  
“I do understand.” Bill nodded. “I’m going to prove to you that I never intend on hurting you again. You’re _everything_ to me, Hillary. I need you to know that.”  
Hillary smiled softly at him. “Don’t worry. I think I know.”  
“Still.” Bill softly smiled at her in return and shrugged. He smirked. “It’s going to be so much fun proving it all over again.”  
Hillary nodded. “We had so much fun dating the first time.”  
“Oh, I remember.” Bill grinned.  
Hillary chuckled and nodded again. “And if we _do_ decide to get remarried one day, then I want another romantic proposal.” She smirked over at Bill.  
“And you shall get one,” Bill assured her with a giddiness to his voice.  
Hillary chuckled and nodded. “Okay.” She let out a nervous and excited giggle.  
Bill grinned at how adorable she was. “Now, you should go get ready for tonight, darlin’, and I’ll go make us a dinner reservation.”

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could have included their date in this chapter but this chapter is already long enough, I think I gave you all enough to read with this one haha. So stay tuned because Billary are FINALLY going on a date and they're going to somewhat re-create one of their early dates from when they were first dating :) I hope you are all as excited as I am for some Billary romance to resume...finally! Haha. 
> 
> Enjoy the rest of your weekend everybody and I hope that you are all doing well and staying safe! Until the next one!


	41. Date Night II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Billary date night, let's go! Hehe :D

Later that evening, Hillary was busy applying her makeup and getting ready for her date with Bill while Hayley was going through her mother’s makeup and playing it with it.  
“Ohhh, pretty!” Hayley commented as she unscrewed the cap off of one of Hillary’s lipsticks, a bright pink fuschia one that Hillary hardly wore.   
Hillary chuckled at how adorable her daughter was being. “That is a very pretty shade of pink isn’t it?”  
Hayley nodded and started messily smearing it across her lips and face.  
Hillary chuckled quietly to herself again and decided to let her play with it, since she had hundreds of other lipsticks. “You silly girl,” She teased with a playful smile as she watched Hayley sloppily apply lipstick all over her lips and chin.  
Hayley giggled in return and continued playing with the lipstick just as Jessica poked her head into the bathroom.  
“Oh, hey,” Hillary said, smiling up at her eldest daughter.  
“Hey,” Jessica replied with a playful smirk. “Bill seems awfully happy tonight.”  
Hillary decided to be coy. “Does he?” She asked, giving Jessica an innocent smile.  
Jessica nodded and smirked even harder. “I hear its date night tonight.”  
Hillary nodded as she started applying her mascara. “Mmm hmm. You heard correctly.”  
“Oh, just get over yourselves and have sex already, Mom!” Jessica teased with a playful groan. “Bill’s not going to be able to resist you in that dress.”  
“Jessica!” Hillary’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink.  
“I know you want to,” Jessica chuckled.  
“I am not discussing this with you, Jessica.” Hillary shook her head at how nosy her daughter was, but she was laughing despite being slightly annoyed. “Are you sure you and your sister are okay babysitting tonight?”  
“Of course,” Jessica assured her mother. “It’s not a problem. We’re going to have a girls night and watch some movies together after everyone goes to bed.”  
Hillary nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”  
“Jessie, look!” Hayley squealed. She had now gotten into the jar of Hillary’s moisturizer and was smearing it across her cheeks.  
Jessica couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her little sister, covered in lipstick and moisturizer. “You look very pretty, baby girl.”  
“I big like you?” Hayley asked her older sister with a hopeful smile.  
“No.” Jessica shook her head and laughed. “Not yet, sweetheart.”  
“Don’t grow as big as Jessie,” Hillary teased.  
“And why not?” Jessica asked with a chuckle.  
Hillary sighed wistfully. “I wish she could stay this little forever. Heck, I wish _you_ were still little.” She shrugged. “Life was less complicated back then.”  
“I know what you mean,” Jessica agreed with a sigh. “But now you can move on and have a fresh start.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement, knowing that her daughter had a point. “You’re right, honey.”  
“I’m always right,” Jessica teased with a glint in her eyes.  
“Stop being so cocky!” Hillary playfully admonished.  
Jessica laughed in return and grabbed Hayley’s hand. “You finish getting ready and I’ll go get Hayley cleaned up.”  
"Make you pretty like Mommy?" Hayley asked her older sister.  
Jessica chuckled and started leading Hayley out of the bathroom. "Yes, you can make me pretty like Mommy."   
  


* * * * * *

Hillary nervously came downstairs a while later and found Jessica and Chelsea watching TV together in the living room while Hayley was playing for a bit before bedtime. Jessica had already put Sophia down for the night since she still wasn't feeling one hundred percent.   
“Wow,” Chelsea said, smiling brightly at her mother. “You look really pretty, Mom.”  
“You look amazing,” Jessica agreed, giving her mother a reassuring smile, being able to tell how nervous her mother was.   
Hillary gave her daughters a nervous smile in return. She felt the butterflies in her stomach intensify as Bill walked into the room.  
“Whoa.” Bill stopped in his tracks, taken aback by how incredibly beautiful the woman in front of him was. Twenty years later and she could still take his breath away. “You look incredible, Hillary.”  
“Thank you.” Hillary nodded and accepted the compliment. “You don’t look half bad yourself.” She playfully smirked.  
Bill chuckled and gave Hillary an excited grin. “Ready to go? I’ll drive if you want.”   
Hillary nodded and passed Bill her car keys.  
“Bye, guys,” Bill said to the girls. “I left some cash on the kitchen counter if you want to order a pizza.”  
Chelsea nodded and got up from the couch to hug her parents goodbye. “Have fun,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Bill. “Love you.”  
“Love you, too, Chels,” Bill said, leaning down and placing a kiss on top of Chelsea’s curls.  
Bill and Hillary finished saying their goodbyes to the kids before they headed out to the car. 

Hillary grinned as Bill opened the passenger door for her, always the gentleman. “Thank you.”  
“No problem.” Bill grinned excitedly in return and made sure that Hillary was settled in the car before he closed her door and went around to the driver’s side. “ _Wow_!” He remarked as he got inside. “This is a _nice_ car, Hillary.”  
Hillary just nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. “Take it if you want. I never want to see it again.”  
“I don’t want your car, Hillary.” Bill chuckled softly as he started driving but his brows furrowed. “Why do you feel so strongly about it though?”  
Hillary sighed sadly at the memory. “Scott had been yelling at me for days about my weight and about the way I dressed. Then all of a sudden he bought this car for me out of the blue, as some kind of a consolation prize, I guess.”  
“Oh.” Bill frowned. “I’m sorry, Hillary.”  
Hillary just shrugged and started fiddling with the radio.  
“You didn’t deserve that,” Bill said in a serious tone, once again furious over the way Scott had treated Hillary throughout their relationship. “And for the record, you’re absolutely _gorgeous_ in anything and at any weight.”  
Hillary sighed sadly. “He wanted me to look like his friends wives who were all stick thin supermodels in their twenties.” She rolled her eyes.  
Bill frowned again and angrily shook his head. “You are perfect _just_ the way you are, Hillary. You’re prettier than any goddamn supermodel out there.”  
“That’s very nice of you to say, Bill, but it's not true.” She gave Bill a bashful smile. “But thank you for trying to cheer me up.”  
Bill sighed sadly. “Hillary.”  
Hillary just shrugged in return.  
“For the record, I’m not just trying,” Bill said. “I’m saying what I truly believe, Hill. Okay?” He smiled reassuringly over at Hillary as he stopped at a red light.  
Hillary finally nodded and weakly smiled in return, finally accepting Bill's praises. “Thank you, Bill.”  
Bill nodded in return and reached over to reassuringly squeeze Hillary’s left knee. “I was able to get us a reservation at a steakhouse. I hope that’s alright with you.” He nervously smiled over at Hillary, feeling like he was on a first date with her all over again.  
Hillary smiled over at Bill as the light turned green and he started driving again. “Steak sounds perfect.”  
  


* * * * * *

“Thank you for coming out with me. You have no idea how much this means to me,” Bill said with a grateful expression on his face as he reached for Hillary’s hand while they were entering the restaurant.  
“It’s my pleasure, Bill,” Hillary assured him, smiling at him in return. “I _want_ to be with you.”  
Bill continued smiling as they entered the lobby of the restaurant and were led to their table a moment later.  
“Would you like some wine?” Bill asked a few minutes later once they were settled in. He reached for the wine list which was in the middle of the table.  
“Oh,” Hillary looked unsure. She shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t. I’m breastfeeding.”  
“Oh, right. Sorry, I wasn’t even thinking,” Bill apologized, looking slightly embarrassed. He shook his head to himself. Damn it, why did he feel like a teenage boy all of a sudden? “I guess I’m a little nervous,” he admitted with a chuckle.  
“It’s alright, darling,” Hillary reassured him since she was feeling just as nervous as Bill.  
“I don’t think a glass of wine will hurt though,” Bill offered. “You pumped this morning, right?”  
“No, it’s okay,” Hillary replied with a shrug. “I’ve already screwed things up exponentially for Cassandra enough as it is. I don’t want to take any chances.”  
“You haven’t screwed anything up, Hillary.” Bill stared at Hillary softly. “You’re a great mom. Cassandra will have a great life because she’s lucky enough to have _you_ as her mother.”  
Hillary smiled softly to herself and took a sip of her water. “And she’ll have you in her life, too.” She paused and nervously cleared her throat. “Hopefully.”  
“She’ll have me for as long as you let me be a part of both of your lives. I promise you that.” Bill stared at Hillary intently from across the table.  
Hillary nodded and stared vulnerably back at Bill. “Please don’t break my heart again this time, Bill.”  
“I won’t,” Bill said quietly as his gaze softened. “I promise you that.” He reached across the table for Hillary’s hand. “I am _so_ desperate for you, Hilly,” he added, as Hillary intertwined her fingers with his.  
Hillary blushed and gave Bill a coy smile in return.  
Bill smirked at her when he noticed she was blushing, causing Hillary to chuckle.  
“You are oh so pretty, Hillary,” Bill complimented with a dreamy expression on his face after they had ordered their meals a few minutes later.  
“Bill!” Hillary nervously chuckled.  
“What?” Bill chuckled and gave Hillary a goofy grin.  
“Stop flattering me,” Hillary demurred, as her cheeks flushed once again.  
“Nope. Never,” Bill teased in return, with an excited gleam in his eyes.  
“Why are you so stubborn, William?” Hillary playfully rolled her eyes at him.  
“Because I learned it from you,” Bill teased with another playful smirk.  
“Stop it!” Hillary loudly laughed as she continued blushing.  
“You know that you’re not helping your case _at all_ right now?” Bill joked. “You’re even more adorable when you’re embarrassed.” This was a side of Hillary that he hadn’t seen in a _long_ time.  
“I don’t think I qualify as being _adorable_ necessarily,” Hillary retorted, staring at Bill incredulously.  
“And I think you do,” Bill quickly replied, not missing a beat as he happily smiled at Hillary from across the table. “You know something? I’m _really_ glad I moved out here, Hill.”  
Hillary nodded as she took another sip of her water. She was elated that Bill had moved to Connecticut as well. “Jess needed you.”  
Bill nodded in agreement. “I’m _really_ happy to be back in her life again and that I get to be apart of Sophia’s life.” Of course there were many other reasons for why Bill was happy and relieved that he had decided to move to New Haven to be with his family, the main reason being the woman sitting in front of him, but he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable by admitting this.  
“I feel terrible.” Hillary suddenly said as she shook her head to herself. “I knew that Jess was struggling and I just left her to fend for herself. God, what was wrong with me? She was barely making ends meet.” She sadly shook her head again.  
“It’s okay,” Bill gently reassured his ex-wife. “She needed her independence.”  
Hillary bitterly chuckled. “Being independent and starving aren’t the same things, Bill.”  
“Hillary,” Bill softly sighed, hating that his ex-wife was carrying around so much guilt. “She wasn’t starving. You know what Jessica is like. She’s just as stubborn and independent as you are. She would have asked for help if she needed it. And yes, eventually she did come to us for help and we’ve been there for her since. Okay?”  
“I just feel bad,” Hillary explained with a sigh. “She was really struggling and I wasn’t there for her because I was preoccupied with fucking Scott.”  
“Hey.” Bill reassuringly squeezed Hillary’s hand. “Hey, she’s doing just fine now. So stop worrying and feeling guilty. Everything’s okay now.”  
“No, Bill. _Nothing_ is okay right now,” Hillary sharply retorted. “My husband died because of _my_ selfishness.”  
Bill frowned and sighed. “The accident wasn’t your fault, Hill. Not at all.”  
“Yes, it was.” Hillary shrugged. “I’m starting to come to terms with it though.”  
“Sweetheart,” Bill said quietly as he stared softly at his ex-wife. “Hilllary, you need to stop taking the blame for something that _wasn’t_ your fault.”  
Hillary shook her head. “I mishandled the _entire_ situation, Bill. If I had just stayed with Scott and stuck it out, he would probably still be alive today.”  
“And you would be absolutely miserable,” Bill simply pointed out.   
Hillary shrugged. "But he would be alive. Cassandra would have her father. Barbara would have her brother still."  
"Hillary," Bill said softly as he stared at her tenderly. "You don't always have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, baby."   
Hillary just shrugged again in response.   
"You've always done that and you need to stop," Bill continued in a quiet tone. "Let me carry some of the burden for you."   
Hillary sighed and frowned. "I wish I could."   
"Honey, share some of the weight with me," Bill urged, as he gave Hillary an encouraging smile. "I can help you. In fact, I _want_ to help you. So let me. Okay?"  
"I don't want to burden you, Bill," Hillary replied in a hushed tone with a guilty expression on her face.   
"Hey," Bill smiled gently at Hillary. "You're not a burden, sweetheart. Not at all. I want to help."   
Hillary just sighed in response and gently squeezed Bill's hand. She nodded. She knew that she needed to do a better job of opening up about her emotions and letting Bill back into her heart and her life. "Okay. Thank you, Bill."  
"You really don't have to thank me," Bill assured her, squeezing her hand in return. "You're always the one supporting me so now its my turn to help you. And it honestly makes me happy, being able to help and support you for a change. You deserve it."  
Hillary stared at Bill softly and lovingly as Bill weakly smiled at her in return.   
"Would you like to go somewhere else after dinner?" Bill asked as he lovingly squeezed Hillary's hand again.   
"Um yeah. Sure," Hillary answered. "What did you have in mind?"   
"We could go for a coffee?" Bill suggested.   
Hillary nodded in agreement and softly smiled at Bill. "Coffee would be nice."   
Bill smiled and nodded, glad that Hillary was on board with his idea.   
"We went for coffee after our second date," Hillary remembered as she smiled nostalgically at the memory.   
Bill chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. We did." He smiled widely as the memory came back to him as well.   
“Why are you grinning?” Hillary softly chuckled.  
“That was a great night, is all,” Bill replied.  
“Yeah.” Hillary nodded. “It was. It was an incredible night.”  
“Looking back, I fell for you _so_ fast,” Bill admitted. “I knew that I wanted you from the first moment I saw you.”  
“That’s crazy.” Hillary chuckled again as her cheeks flushed a shade of light pink.  
“Yeah, maybe.” Bill chuckled and shrugged slightly. “I think Diedre knew it too.”  
Hillary laughed as she remembered the woman Bill had been dating when the two of them had first met. “That’s ridiculous,” Hillary lightly chided. “There’s no way you could have known on the very first day you met me.”  
“Yes!" Bill insisted with a broad grin. “I knew on your very first day of work at the firm. The very first time I ever laid eyes on you. In that elevator.”  
“Well, I thought the same thing about you,” Hillary finally admitted before she took a sip of water. “I thought you were so cute.” She giggled.  
“And I thought you were gorgeous,” Bill replied as the server arrived with their food. “You still are.”  
Hillary smiled at the compliment before she decided to dig into her food. “This looks delicious,” she remarked before she started cutting her steak.  
“It does,” Bill nodded in agreement and gently nudged Hillary’s foot underneath the table.  
“Bill!” Hillary giggled.  
“Yes?” Bill smirked.  
“Nothing.” Hillary smirked and playfully nudged his leg in return. As she took it up a notch and ran her foot up his leg, Bill stared at her lustfully. He quickly cleared his throat and started eating his dinner.  
“Was something distracting you?” Hillary teased.  
“Oh, no, no.” Bill stared at Hillary playfully. “I’m _perfectly_ aware of what’s going on, darlin’.”  
Hillary smiled and playfully bit her lip. She blushed again and looked away.  
“Hey,” Bill quietly said. “Don’t shy away from me.”  
“I feel like I’m making things awkward,” Hillary admitted.  
“You’re not,” Bill assured her with a smile.  
Hillary giggled nervously and nodded. "Okay."   
“I’m just going to take it as a good sign that you’re nervous,” Bill said with a reassuring smile. “I hope that means that you care about how tonight goes.” He nervously chuckled.  
“I care a lot,” Hillary assured him in a serious tone.  
Bill smiled and nodded. “Me, too.”  
Hillary smiled and nodded, relieved to hear that.  
“You’re so pretty,” Bill complimented once again, staring at Hillary in awe.  
“Stop it.” Hillary blushed.  
“Why should I?” Bill chuckled. “I love looking at you.”  
Hillary smiled softly and bit her lip while Bill had to resist the urge to kiss her, not wanting to push her too far.  
“I love you,” Hillary suddenly said, as she stared at Bill.  
“I love you, too,” Bill softly replied, staring at Hillary in return. “Thank you very much for the second chance.”  
Hillary nodded. “I’ve been wanting to give you one for a _long_ time. Ever since you started emailing me a year ago.” She sighed. “I just felt _so_ guilty before.”  
“I understand and I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward situation back then,” Bill explained. “I just couldn’t _not_ have you in my life anymore. I needed to know how you were doing.”  
“I was just _really_ really missing you,” Hillary admitted quietly.  
Bill nodded, knowing that the feeling went both ways. “I needed to know that you and the girls were being taken care of.”  
“Well the kids had everything they needed,” Hillary explained. “Though they really missed you as well.” She nervously cleared her throat and continued. “So did I. I just tried to tell myself that I didn’t.” She sadly sighed to herself.  
Bill nodded. “I’m _so_ sorry that I let you and the girls down. Hell, I let myself down. I don’t know what the hell happened to me.”  
“There’s such a thing as a midlife crisis, Bill.” Hillary chuckled.  
“I know,” Bill chuckled before his demeanor went back to being serious. “But I wasn’t _me_ . I didn’t feel like myself.” He sighed and took a sip of water. “What I’m trying to say is that I’ll _never_ do anything like that ever again. I _need_ you, Hillary. You are my _whole_ world.”  
“And you have me, Bill,” Hillary assured him. “You’ve _always_ had me.” She took a bite of mashed potato before she continued. “It’s just...I knew that Scott cared about me and that as long as we were together, that the girls and I would be taken care of.”  
“Hey you don’t have to defend yourself,” Bill assured her. “It was _my_ fault. And hey, I found someone else, too.”  
“Don’t remind me,” Hillary dryly retorted. She chuckled bitterly. “It literally makes me sick to my stomach to think about it.”  
“Well, its not easy for me either knowing that you were with someone else,” Bill replied. “Or the fact that the two of you had a baby together.”  
“I thought you had moved on as well,” Hillary argued in her defense. “I know it isn’t easy for you but thank you _so_ much for welcoming Cassandra into your life.”  
“Of course.” Bill nodded reassuringly.  
“We just have to start over,” Hillary said with a sigh.  
Bill nodded in agreement. “We’ll be fine.” He gave Hillary a reassuring smile.  
Hillary sighed again and nodded. “Okay.”  
“Is your dinner good?” Bill asked, changing the subject.  
Hillary nodded. “It’s wonderful.” She held her fork out to him. “Here, try it.”  
Bill took a bite of her steak and nodded. “That is good.”  
“Told ya.” Hillary smirked.  
“You always have to be right don’t you?” Bill chuckled.  
“No, not always,” Hillary teased. “I’m okay with you being right sometimes.” She smirked.  
“Good to know.” Bill chuckled again.   
Both of them realized that the nervous tension from earlier had been broken and the two of them were finally able to relax and fully enjoy the evening.  
“This is nice,” Hillary remarked.  
“It really is.” Bill nodded in agreement before he nervously cleared his throat. “So, did you and Scott come here a lot?”  
“No,” Hillary shook her head. “I’d never come here before. I like it though.”  
Bill nodded. “I’m glad that you like it.”  
“Yeah, I like it _a lot_ ,” Hillary assured her ex-husband. She gently smiled. “It’s the perfect place for a first date.”  
“I think so, too.” Bill grinned. “I’m so glad that you decided to come out with me tonight.”  
“Me, too.” Hillary grinned excitedly in return as the two of them continued eating dinner.  
  


* * * * * *

“Do you want anything for dessert?” Bill asked Hillary as they finished up their dinner a while later.  
“I’m okay, thanks. I might get something when we go get coffee,” Hillary explained. “I know a cute little dessert cafe that we could go to?”  
“Sure.” Bill nodded and weakly smiled. “Sounds perfect.”  
Hillary smiled and nodded as their server brought the check.  
“I’ll pay,” Hillary offered.  
“No, no, no.” Bill waved her off and grabbed the check from the middle of the table.  
“Bill!” Hillary exclaimed, laughing. “You never let me pay for anything.”  
“It’s our first date!” Bill argued in return, laughing himself.  
“Come on, Bill,” Hillary tried. “Let’s at least split it?”  
“Nope.” Bill shook his head and took his credit card out of his wallet. “You can pay for the coffee.”  
“Fine,” Hillary conceded.  
“I just like being able to treat you, Hilly,” Bill explained.  
“I know.” Hillary nodded. “But you don’t have a job here,” she pointed out.  
“I’ll be okay for a little while until I can find something,” Bill assured Hillary. “A friend of mine from Columbia's Law program might have a teaching opportunity for me. I’m waiting to hear back from him.”  
Hillary nodded relieved to hear that but she sighed. “I don’t know what to do about work.”  
“You’ll figure it out,” Bill assured her with a gentle smile. “I had my turn in the spotlight and now it's your time to shine, Hillary. You have so many possibilities and opportunities in front of you. I know that you can do anything you set your mind too.”  
Hillary softly smiled, feeling hopeful and encouraged by Bill’s words. “Thank you, Bill.”  
“You’re very welcome,” Bill nodded and smiled as he paid the bill. “Ready to go?” He asked Hillary a few minutes later.  
Hillary nodded and stood up from the table. 

* * * * * *

Hillary shivered against the late August evening air as they stepped outside. “It’s a little chilly out here.”  
Bill immediately took off his suit jacket and draped it around Hillary’s shoulders. He wrapped his arm around her as they started walking to the coffee shop. “Better?” He asked, as he leaned over and softly pecked the top of Hillary’s head.  
“Yes.” Hillary nodded. “Thank you. Are you warm enough though?”  
“I’m fine, beautiful,” Bill assured her with a gentle smile. “I like that dress on you, by the way.”  
“Really?” Hillary asked, biting her lip.  
“Of course.” Bill nodded. “You are _gorgeous_.”  
“Stop it,” Hillary said, giving Bill a bashful smile.  
“I mean it!” Bill insisted. “You look incredible. I love when you wear your hair down. It’s so long right now. I like it long like this.”  
“Thank you.” Hillary bit her lip again and nodded. She smiled over at him as they walked.  
“I want to be with you, Hillary,” Bill suddenly said. “I want to cuddle with you at night and wake up to you every morning.”  
Hillary stopped in her tracks and impulsively leaned in to kiss Bill.  
Bill cupped her cheeks and passionately returned the kiss before Hillary pulled away, remembering that they were in public, not feeling comfortable with the Public Display of Affection.  
“Sorry,” She apologized, seeing the look of surprise on Bill’s face.  
“No, don’t apologize,” Bill assured her. “It was a nice kiss.”  
Hillary gently smiled and softly ran her thumb over Bill’s lips before they arrived at the cafe a few moments later. 

“What are you getting?” Hillary asked Bill as they got in line.  
“I’m going to get a latte and I’ll get us our dessert. What are you in the mood for?” Bill asked.  
“I think I want something with chocolate in it,” Hillary answered with a playful smirk.  
“Okay, well pick something out then,” Bill chuckled and led Hillary over to the display case that had a large selection of desserts to choose from.   
They ordered two lattes and a piece of chocolate cheesecake to share and brought everything over to a table.  
“This looks delicious,” Bill remarked, eagerly staring at the piece of cake in front of him as they sat down.  
“Wait until you taste it,” Hillary teased, scooting in next to him in a cozy booth.  
“Did you come here with Scott before?” Bill asked, wondering how she had discovered this cafe.  
“Um, yeah,” Hillary admitted. “Once or twice, I guess.”  
Bill nodded.  
“I’d rather not talk about him anymore,” Hillary informed him. She was ready for a fresh start with Bill.  
“Of course.” Bill nodded understandingly. He took a bite of cheesecake. “Oh wow. That’s amazing.”  
Hillary nodded and took a bite herself. “I know, right? I love this place. I would always come here with Jess and Hayley and Sophia when I was pregnant with Cassandra.”  
Bill smiled softly at that thought and image. “That’s nice.”  
“I craved sweets _constantly_ when I was pregnant with her,” Hillary chuckled at the memory. “I was _seriously_ addicted to chocolate during my pregnancy. I would sneak away here every chance I got. Their chocolate chip cookies are out of this world, too.”  
“Like when you were pregnant with Chelsea,” Bill remembered. He softly smiled. “And I would always bring sweet treats home for you.”  
“Yeah,” Hillary nodded and weakly smiled before she sighed. “This was different though. I had to keep it a secret from Scott. Thank God for Jess.” She chuckled. “She always made sure I got my fix and snuck things into the house for me. I got so huge.” She loudly laughed. “Scott wasn’t too pleased.” She suddenly sighed and frowned to herself.  
“You were pregnant,” Bill pointed out. “Did he really have a say? I mean, you were going to gain weight no matter what.” He nervously chuckled as he pointed out the obvious.  
Hillary shrugged. “He was picking on me about eating better and losing the baby weight after she was born.”  
“You look incredible though,” Bill complimented.  
Hillary shrugged again. “I haven’t been eating properly.”  
“I’ve noticed.” Bill frowned. He knew that Hillary had been skipping meals due to the stress and guilt of the entire situation. “You should work on that.”  
Hillary nodded and sighed. “Yeah, I know. I will.”  
“Well, you look amazing,” Bill repeated, hoping to cheer her back up.  
“Hush,” Hillary lightly admonished him before she took a sip of her vanilla latte.  
“You’re too hard on yourself,” Bill said with a sad sigh.  
“I am not,” Hillary said, rolling her eyes.  
Bill nodded. “You need to stop being so critical of yourself, honey. You are perfect just the way you are.”  
“Thank you, Bill.” Hillary nodded and gently smiled, accepting the compliment. She suddenly sighed. “I miss the kids.”  
“Want to go home?” Bill asked, knowing that Hillary was probably anxious to get back home to Cassandra.  
“Kind of,” Hillary admitted. “We can stay for a few more minutes though.” She wanted to go home to the kids but she also didn’t want her date with Bill to end either. She sighed again. “I’m just not used to being away from Cassandra.”  
Bill nodded understandingly. “I get it. Don’t worry about it.”  
They finished their cake and grabbed their coffee’s to-go. Bill led her outside and back to where the car was parked.  
“Tonight was really nice,” Hillary remarked.  
“Yeah.” Bill nodded in agreement. “It was.” He leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s forehead.  
“We should do it again,” Hillary said.  
Bill nodded and smiled. “Definitely.” He wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist before they got into the car.  
Hillary giggled as Bill leaned in and softly kissed Hillary’s neck. She smiled and gently rested her hands on Bill’s chest.  
“You are so lovely,” Bill complimented, loving being so close to her.  
“I think the only time I ever feel _close_ to lovely is when I’m with you,” Hillary quietly admitted.  
“Well, I like making you feel that way,” Bill replied, softly smiling at her. He slowly leaned down to give her a kiss.   
Hillary leaned in and let Bill softly kiss her, cupping his cheeks with her palms as she softly moaned into the kiss. She tenderly stared at Bill when they broke a part for air a few moments later.  
Bill weakly smiled as he stared at Hillary in return before he opened the car door for her and went around to the driver’s side.  
“I can’t wait to see my babies,” Hillary remarked as they got into the car.  
Bill softly chuckled. “I bet.”  
“It feels weird being on a date,” Hillary suddenly admitted. “It had been a while.”  
“Weird how?” Bill asked, as he pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and started driving back to Hillary’s house. “Scott didn’t take you out?” His brows furrowed in confusion.  
“No, no. He did,” Hillary corrected. “But the last time we went out was the night I got put on bed rest. I was on bed rest for about a month with Cassandra. And then...you know. Everything with Scott happened right after she was born.” She frowned and looked down.  
Bill nodded understandingly and frowned himself. “I’m sorry, Hillary.”  
She shrugged. “It’s okay.”  
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”  
“I’m not upset,” Hillary assured him. “Well...I am. But not with you.” She sighed. “I’m just sad. I’m sad that things had to end with him the way they did.”  
Bill nodded understandingly as Hillary sighed again.  
“It’s just awful,” Hillary remarked.  
Bill nodded and gave Hillary a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry, Hillary.”  
Hillary shrugged and sighed again. “That’s life, I guess.”  
Bill nodded and reached over to gently rub Hillary’s right shoulder while they were stopped at a red light.  
“You’re so sweet,” Hillary said, smiling weakly to herself.  
“I try.” Bill softly smiled and shrugged.  
Hillary smiled at Bill in return as they arrived back at Hillary’s house a few minutes later.  
  


“Do you want to come in or are you going to spend the night at Jess’s place?” Hillary asked.  
“I’ll sleep here tonight if that’s alright with you,” Bill answered. “All my stuff is here.” He had unofficially moved into Hillary’s house ever since Scott’s death. Whether he was going to officially move back in with Hillary or continue living with Jessica for the next little while, was something the two of them would have to figure out.   
Hillary nodded. “Of course. You know that’s fine with me.”  
“Thanks,” Bill said as he parked the car in the driveway.  
“You could stay with me tonight,” Hillary awkwardly offered, not sure how Bill would respond to her proposal. “In my bed, I mean.”  
“Okay.” Bill nodded and gave Hillary a slight smile. “Sure. That sounds good.”  
Hillary nodded and smiled nervously over at Bill in return as they got out of the car and went inside the house where Jessica was waiting up for them.  
They found her in the living room, flipping through a fashion magazine while a movie played on the television in the background.  
“Hey,” she greeted, turning off the television and looking up from her magazine as her parents entered the room. “How did it go?”  
“Good,” Hillary answered with a smile.  
Jessica softly smiled, relieved to hear that, and nodded. “Good.”  
“Is everyone else asleep?” Hillary asked.  
Jessica nodded. “I think Chelsea is reading in her room but everyone else is sound asleep. Cassandra woke up a little while ago. I gave her a bottle and she went right back to sleep.”  
Hillary nodded. “Thanks so much for watching her and Hayley tonight, sweetheart.”  
“Of course.” Jessica nodded, as she half-hazardly placed the magazine down on the coffee table. “It was no trouble.” She yawned and softly chuckled. “I'm tired though. I think I’m going to head up to bed now.”  
Bill nodded. “Thanks for babysitting tonight, Jess.”  
Jessica softly smiled at her stepfather. “You're welcome."   
“Goodnight, sweetie,” Hillary said as she noticed Jessica yawn again.   
“Night,” Jessica replied, getting up to give her a mother a hug.  
“Love you,” Hillary said, wrapping her arms around her daughter.  
“Love you, too, Mama.”  
“Goodnight, honey,” Bill said.  
“Night, Bill,” Jessica said before she headed upstairs.  
Hillary looked over at Bill once they were alone.  
“Let’s go upstairs,” Bill suggested, smiling softly at Hillary.  
Hillary nodded and after quickly checking on Hayley and Cassandra who were both still sound asleep, she let Bill lead her down the hallway to the master bedroom. 

Hillary sat down on the edge of her bed and started taking her heels off.  
Bill took a seat next to her and began passionately kissing Hillary’s neck, now that they were alone in the privacy of their own home. He pulled away a moment later, to check if that was what Hillary _really_ wanted in that moment.  
Hillary was nervously biting her lip and had an unsure expression on her face.  
“I really want to kiss you,” Bill quietly admitted.  
Hillary nodded. “Okay.”  
Bill leaned in closer to her and softly stroked her cheek. “Is that what _you_ want?”  
“Yeah.” Hillary nodded. “I think so.”  
“You think so?” Bill asked, as he cocked his right eyebrow in confusion.  
Hillary nodded and leaned in closer to Bill, to give him easier access.  
Bill started kissing Hillary firmly on the lips. As Hillary moaned into the kiss, she let Bill pull her in closer.  
Just as Bill deepened the kiss, she suddenly and abruptly pulled away from him. “We can’t go any further.”  
“Oh.” Bill nodded and frowned. “Oh. Okay.”  
“I’m sorry!” Hillary shook her head, feeling disappointed in herself. “I just...I can’t, Bill.”  
“Hey, don’t be sorry,” Bill assured her. He wanted to take things at a pace that felt right for both of them.  
“It just feels wrong,” Hillary explained with an unsure expression on her face. “I’m not ready yet. I’m so sorry.” She sighed, feeling incredibly guilty.   
“It’s fine,” Bill assured her. “I don’t want you feeling forced into anything.”  
“I should probably just go to bed,” Hillary said with a frustrated and disappointed sigh. “I have a lot to do tomorrow.”  
Bill nodded. “Of course. Goodnight, sweetheart. I’ll give you your space.” He got up from the bed.  
“No,” Hillary stopped him. “Stay with me.”  
Bill looked at Hillary for approval.  
“I want you to,” she assured him. “I miss someone holding me at night. I’m so lonely,” she admitted.  
Bill nodded. “I’ll stay with you tonight. Only if you’re comfortable with that though.”  
“I am,” Hillary assured him, feeling confident with her decision.  
Bill nodded. “Okay. Let me just go get changed. I’ll be right back.”  
Hillary nodded. “I’ll do that, too.”  
Bill nodded and left the room to go get ready for bed in the guest room.  
After she had quickly washed her face, taken her makeup off, and brushed her teeth, Hillary took off her dress and unhooked her bra. She slipped on a sexy black lacy nightgown that barely covered the top of her thighs.  
When Bill came back to the master bedroom in his boxers and a white T-shirt a few minutes later, he couldn’t help but stare at Hillary.  
Hillary smiled tenderly at him, noticing the look of lust on Bill's face.  
“You look incredible, baby,” Bill said huskily.   
“What?” Hillary nervously giggled. “You’re crazy, Bill.”  
“No,” Bill shook his head. “I mean it, Hillary. You look absolutely incredible.”  
She smiled over at Bill curiously as she peeled back the covers and started crawling into bed. Bill got into bed with her and lay down beside her. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, once they were both comfortable and settled.  
Hillary weakly smiled as she cuddled up to Bill and snuggled into his embrace while he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. She yawned and quietly chuckled. “I’m tired.”  
Bill nodded and softly kissed her cheek. “Me, too. Goodnight, Hilly. I had _a lot_ of fun tonight.”  
“Me, too,” Hillary nodded and smiled to herself. “Goodnight, Bill.”  
“I love you," he quietly whispered into Hillary's ear.   
“I love you, too, Bill,” Hillary sleepily murmured before she drifted off to sleep, feeling loved, safe, and secure wrapped up in Bill’s arms. 

To Be Continued…


	42. A Family Affair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger/content warning for mention of a sucide attempt.

A few days after her date with Bill, Hillary was finally doing something that she had been putting off for days but she couldn't avoid it any longer. She and Scott's family were meeting with the lawyer who was the Executor of Scott's estate to go over his Will. By some eerie coincidence, he had met with his lawyer and updated it shortly before Cassandra was born. Most of his money and assets had gone to Hillary and Cassandra which Hillary wasn't surprised about. However, he had given some money to Jessica, Chelsea, and Hayley as well. And he had started a college fund for Hayley that Hillary had had no idea about. She was feeling oddly touched and moved by this gesture. Barbara wasn't too pleased and she was currently glaring at Hillary from across the room but there was nothing Hillary could do about that. Scott had of course left money to his siblings as well and what was done was done. If Barbara was upset about the amount of money her brother had left her (which was still quite a substantial amount), it was out of Hillary's hands at that point.   
They were almost finished and about to say their goodbyes and leave the lawyer's office when David, the lawyer and a friend of Hillary and Scott's from law school. suddenly said in his deep, serious, lawyerly voice. "There is one more thing, Hillary."   
"Yes?" Hillary asked, intrigued. She raised her right eyebrow in curiosity.   
"Regarding the vehicles…" David looked down and flipped through a few pages of Scott's will with his index finger before looking back up towards Hillary. Scott's Mercedes SUV which had been totaled beyond repair in the accident had been his prize possession. However, he also had had several other luxury vehicles that he had treasured while he was still alive. David looked over towards Hillary to give her the news.  
"He left all his cars to you, Hillary. With the exception of his silver Mercedes convertible. He left that one to a…" David double checked the paperwork in front of him and looked back up at Hillary. "To a Ms. Jessica Rodham."  
"Oh, wow," Hillary said, totally flabbergasted at this gesture. She leaned back in her chair in shock. He had tried buying her daughter's love right up until the end…   
At this point, Barbara angrily stormed out of the room before David could start to wrap things up.   
“I’m sorry,” Scott’s brother Eric said, giving Hillary and David an apologetic look. “She’s just grieving.”  
David nodded understandingly before they finished up and everybody was free to go. Hillary said her goodbyes to David and found Scott’s siblings out in the reception/waiting area of David’s law firm. Barbara was furiously pacing back and forth.  
“Um, you can all come over to my place for a bit,” Hillary awkwardly offered. “I have to babysit my granddaughter later but we could have an early dinner and you could all spend some time with Cassandra before you have to go back home?”  
“That would be nice.” Eric gave Hillary a grateful smile.  
Hillary nodded. She was happy to let Scott’s siblings spend time with their niece before they had to leave Connecticut. “I’ll cook,” she offered. 

* * * * * *

When she arrived home a while later, with Scott’s siblings coming inside behind her, Hillary found Bill playing with Hayley in the living room.  
“Oh,” Bill looked up at the four of them. “Hi,” he politely greeted.  
“Hey,” Hillary replied as she smiled weakly over at Bill. “We have company.”  
“We can get out of your hair,” Bill offered, reaching for Hayley’s hand. He didn’t want to get in the way of Scott’s siblings visit with their new niece. “I think I’ll go over to Jess’s,” Bill explained. “Chelsea’s already over there helping her get ready for her big date.”  
Hillary nodded understandingly. “Are you taking Hayley?”  
“Do you want me too?” Bill asked, deciding it was Hillary’s call to make.  
“Yeah, play with daddy!” Hayley excitedly squealed.  
“Well,” Hillary chuckled to herself. Her daughter had apparently made the decision herself. “It looks like she wants her daddy right now. You two have fun and I’ll see all of you later tonight.” She leaned down and gently pecked the top of Hayley’s dark brown curls. “I love you, sweetheart. Be good for your daddy and sisters.”  
“Bye, bye,” Hayley sweetly said. “Love you, Mama.” She cutely waved goodbye to Hillary before Bill took her hand and led her outside to the car, also waving goodbye to Hillary as he left.

  
Meanwhile, Hillary had received a text from Jessica only a few hours prior, saying that Chelsea was coming over and that the two of them would be at Jessica’s townhouse for the next several hours before Jessica’s date that night. She finally had a spare moment to reply to her daughter. 

_Okay, honey. You two have fun. I’ll see you later tonight. We need to talk before you leave. But Scott’s family is here now._

_Okay_ Jessica quickly replied back within seconds. _Can you still babysit Sophia tonight?_

_Of course!_ Hillary promptly typed out a reply and sent it. _I’m really looking forward to it!_

_Good! I'll see you later then! Love you!_ Jessica replied. 

Hillary smiled softly to herself before she quickly texted " _Love you, too!_ " back to Jessica and put her phone facedown on the kitchen counter so that she wouldn’t be distracted by it for the rest of the evening.   
“What would you all like for dinner?” She asked Scott’s siblings. “I’m not much of a cook,” she admitted with a laugh. “But I like trying new things in the kitchen, nonetheless. I can make anything you guys want.”  
“Oh, we’ll eat anything,” Eric assured her in a kind voice, just grateful for Hillary’s generosity and hospitality.  
“I can make pasta?” Hillary offered. She knew that would be quick and easy.  
Barbara nodded and shrugged. “Sure.”  
“I can help you,” Michelle, Scott’s youngest sibling, kindly offered.  
Hillary shrugged and let Michelle follow her into the kitchen. “Sure. Thanks."  
"You know something," Michelle started, smiling warmly at Hillary, "You're not as bad as I thought you were, Hillary."  
Hillary nervously chuckled. "Thanks?" She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not.   
She didn't know Michelle as well as she knew Barbara and Eric. Michelle was significantly younger than her older three siblings and she had mostly done her own thing separate from her family over the years. She was the calm and carefree younger sister who loved travelling and adventures; the complete opposite of Scott's uptight older sister Barbara.   
"I try," Hillary added, with a self-deprecating chuckle.   
Michelle smiled softly over at Hillary. "I don't blame you for what happened to my brother, Hillary. I just want you to know that." She suddenly got a faraway look in her eyes. "Scott _always_ had issues for as long as I can remember. I'm sure his ex-wife before you has stories."   
Hillary nodded and got choked up. "Well, I'm still really sorry for what happened."  
"Hey," Michelle quietly said with a gentle look in her eyes. " It's okay, Hillary. He was sick."  
Hillary just nodded and shook her head to shake her tears away. She cleared her throat and nervously chuckled. "Anyways, dinner." She forced a smile and grabbed a jar of tomato sauce from the kitchen pantry. 

As she and Michelle got to work cooking dinner, Cassandra suddenly started crying.   
"Hey, its okay," Eric soothed, gently scooping her up from her bassinet.   
"Thank you," Hillary gratefully said to him as she dumped a box of dry spaghetti noodles into a pot of boiling water. "You could take her for a walk around the block if you want? Sometimes that calms her down."   
Eric nodded. "Sure."  
Hillary nodded. "Great. Her stroller's in the garage."  
Eric nodded again and closely held Cassandra against his chest. “We’ll be back in a bit.”  
Hillary smiled and got back to cooking. “Great!” She chirped before he left with Cassandra.  
“He’s sweet,” Hillary remarked.  
Michelle nodded as she chopped up vegetables for a green salad. “My sister is fucking crazy though.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry. She can be a real bitch sometimes.”  
Hillary shrugged and sighed. “We were never super close or anything but she was at least civil to me before your brother passed.”  
“Because she was happy that Scott was finally settling down,” Michelle joked. “She wanted to be an auntie and he was already in his late forties. After our mom died, she was always nagging him about finding a wife. And now she’s pulling the same crap with me.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance again. “And I’m only thirty!”  
Hillary looked taken aback. She knew that there was a significant age gap between Michelle and the rest of her siblings, but she had had no idea that it was that large. She barely knew Scott’s youngest sibling because she was always travelling, but so far, she liked her and they were getting along well.  
Michelle chuckled, seeing the look on Hillary’s face. “I was a surprise baby when my parents were in their forties.”  
Hillary chuckled. “It happens to the best of us.” She was definitely not a stranger to unexpected pregnancies.  
“Your daughters are beautiful by the way,” Michelle remarked, changing the subject.  
“Oh, thank you.” Hillary smiled warmly at the younger woman. “I think so, too.” She chuckled.  
“And Cassandra is just precious,” Michelle added.  
Hillary nodded. “Thank you,” She repeated. “She looks like you.”  
“Really?” Michelle let out a chuckle of disbelief.  
Hillary nodded. “You look a lot like Scott and so does Cassandra.”  
Michelle nodded in agreement. “She does look like Scott.”  
Hillary nodded as she started heating up the pasta sauce. “It’s not a bad thing. I mean _you’re_ gorgeous.”  
“Stop it.” Michelle blushed and brushed off the compliment.  
“But it's funny,” Hillary smiled fondly before continuing. “She also has a lot of me in her so she looks just like her half-sisters, too.”  
“Well, your daughters are gorgeous,” Michelle repeated.  
“Thank you.” Hillary nodded and accepted the compliment on behalf of her daughters. “I hope we can be friends one day, Michelle. I want you and your siblings to be a part of Cassandra’s life. My best friends are going to spoil her to death and you need to join in on the spoiling,” Hillary teased with a smirk.  
Michelle chuckled. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll definitely try to come and visit at least a few times a year.”  
“Great!” Hillary said, with a broad smile.  
“And I’ll talk to Barbara for you,” Michelle offered.  
Hillary nodded even though she knew it might be futile. She sighed. “She hates me. And I don’t blame her. What happened to your brother was all my fault.”  
Michelle shook her head. “Hillary, no.” She sighed harshly. “He had his struggles, Hillary, and I hate to say it but something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.” She sighed harshfully, realizing she owed her sister-in-law some information that she wasn’t sure Hillary already knew or not. “He tried to kill himself once before. The first time he was getting clean. He overdosed on sleeping pills but luckily a friend of his got worried when Scott didn't show up for a dinner and he called 911. The paramedics got to him in time.”  
“Oh.” Hillary looked down at the floor as she took in and processed this information. “I never knew that.” She bit her lip.  
“Yeah.” Michelle sadly sighed again. “He was doing really well when you first re-connected with him though. And he was _so_ happy to be with you again.”  
Hillary sadly nodded and sighed. “I know. I was happy to be with him, too. Before everything went to hell.”  
Michelle weakly smiled and sighed. “Yeah.”  
Hillary tried to distract herself by getting back to cooking dinner and focusing on the task at hand just as Barbara came into the kitchen.  
“Oh, hi,” Hillary said.  
“Hello,” Barbara shortly replied.  
“How are you doing?” Hillary politely asked.  
‘I’m fine,” Barbara answered in a snippy tone of voice.  
“Stop being a bitch, Barbara,” Michelle said.  
“Michelle!” Barbara gasped.  
“It’s fine, Michelle,” Hillary said before she sadly sighed. She appreciated Scott’s sister defending her but that didn’t mean that Scott’s other sister wasn’t also entitled to her feelings and her own way of grieving. “I deserve it.”  
“You do not,” Michelle argued. “Scott had issues and everybody knows it. My sister just refuses to admit it.”  
“Please,” Hillary begged. “Let’s just have a nice evening. Okay?”  
“How easy for you to say. Today went great for you,” Barbara sarcastically retorted.  
“Nothing was great about today, Babrara,” Hillary replied, in an incredulous tone of voice. “We were reading my husband’s will for Gods’ sake.”  
“And everything went your way. You got _exactly_ what you wanted,” Barbara accused.  
“What do you want from me, Barbara?” Hillary asked, not in the mood to play games. “I can’t control the way he wrote his will. What’s done is done.”  
“I want my brother back,” Barbara simply stated.  
“And what the hell am I supposed to do about that?” Hillary asked in a frustrated tone of voice. She couldn’t bring Scott back. He was gone. “I wish he was here, too. So does Cassandra! I can’t change what he did or control the past.”  
“Oh, just shut up, Hillary.” Barbara rolled her eyes in frustration.  
“I will not!” Hillary argued. “This is _my_ house and I’m sick of you accusing me of causing Scott’s death!” She teared up, getting worked up over Barbara’s words and behavior.   
“Because you did cause this!” Barbara argued. “He _loved_ you, Hillary! He loved you so much and you don’t even regret what you did to him.”  
“I loved him, too!” Hillary retorted. “And I regret plenty, believe me. You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about, Barbara. I don’t want this house or his money. I don’t want _anything_ he gave me. Take it if its that important to you. Take it all!”  
“No,” Barbara replied, shortly. “I want you to be _constantly_ reminded of him when you start your new life with _Bill_.” She sneered and gave Hillary a look of disgust.  
“Leave Bill out of this,” Hillary warned  
“Why?” Barbara asked incredulously. “He’s what started all of this.”  
“None of this is his fault,” Hillary pointed out. _Not at all…_ she thought to herself.  
“You’re right,” Barbara spat. “It’s yours.”  
“Look,” Hillary let out a frustrated sigh. “You need to leave, Barbara. I’m not going to let you bully me like this.”  
“Barbara, just stop it,” Michelle tried, not wanting the fight between Hillary and Barbara to escalate further. “You’re being ridiculous.”  
“No,” Barbara said in a sharp tone of voice. “ _She’s_ the ridiculous one.”  
“Barb, her points are perfectly valid,” Michelle calmly pointed out.  
“They certainly are not!” Barbara looked taken aback.  
Michelle rolled her eyes. There was no reasoning with her sister sometimes.  
“She just couldn’t wait to be rid of him!” Barbara accused.  
“Stop it, Barbara!” Michelle begged.  
“Yeah, you need to leave,” Hillary said to her.  
Barbara loudly scoffed just as Eric arrived back at the house with Cassandra.  
“Come on, we’re leaving,” Barbara said to him.  
“We are not,” Eric calmly said, not phased by his sister’s mood. “We just got here. Come on. Sit down.”  
Barbara shook her head. “I’m not staying.”  
“Yes, you are,” Eric said, as he gently put a soundly sleeping Cassandra back down in her bassinet. “So come and have a seat with me.” He Barbara her over to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and sat down with her, totally unfazed by his sister’s erratic and angry behaviour.  
“You _have_ to get over your issues with Hillary for Cassandra’s sake,” Eric quietly said to Barbara causing Barbara to shake her head in protest.  
“Yes,” Eric said in a firm tone of voice. “Don’t you want to be a part of Cassandra’s life?”  
Barbara bit her lip and nodded resignedly. She quietly sighed. “Fine.”  
“Thank you,” Michelle said. She sadly sighed. “We’re all grieving.”  
Barbara nodded in agreement and let out another sad and frustrated sigh herself.  
“Um, dinner’s ready,” Hillary awkwardly said, hoping to break the tension. “Let’s go eat.” 

* * * * * *

“This is really good,” Michelle complimented as they ate. She took another bite of her spaghetti.  
“Thanks,” Hillary replied, smiling weakly. She quietly chuckled. “It’s just pasta and sauce.”  
“Well, it’s good,” Michelle said as they heard Cassandra let out a contented coo, and then a quiet little yawn.  
“I can take her upstairs to the nursery,” Michelle offered as she leaned over towards Cassandra’s bassinet and watched as Cassandra’s eyes drifted closed.  
Hillary nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”  
Michelle nodded and gently scooped up Cassandra, being careful not to wake her.  
There was tension in the air as Hillary, Eric, and Barbara continued to eat in an awkward silence.  
  


“She’s sound asleep,” Michelle said with a smile, when she came back to the dining room a few minutes later.  
“Great,” Hillary chirped, before she took a bite of her salad.  
“She’s adorable,” Michelle remarked.  
Hillary softly smiled. “Yes.” She nodded. “She is.”  
“She’s a great baby,” Barbara piped in.  
Hillary smiled and nodded in agreement, glad that they could all at least agree on one thing. “So you’re leaving Connecticut tomorrow?” She asked Scott’s siblings a moment later, trying to make conversation.  
Barbara nodded. “We have jobs to get back to.”  
“Well, you’re welcome to come and visit anytime,” Hillary offered. “Cassandra would love it, I’m sure.”  
Eric smiled and nodded. “We will definitely visit when we can.”  
“Great!” Hillary said. “I want the three of you to be a part of her life.”  
Michelle nodded in agreement. “We want to be in her life, too.”  
  


* * * * * *

“I’ll help you clean up the kitchen,” Michelle offered, once everyone was finished eating a while later.  
Hillary nodded. “Sure.”  
“I’m sorry about how bitter my sister is,” Michelle apologized, following Hillary into the kitchen.  
“It’s fine.” Hillary shrugged as she placed a pile of dirty dishes into the sink. “She’s right. It was my fault.”  
She looked down.  
“Stop it, Hillary,” Michelle tried. “It’s not your fault, okay? My brother had a lot of problems from the get-go. You couldn’t have stopped him from doing what he did that night. It’s just an unfortunate situation.” She sadly sighed and bit her lip. “I miss him though.”  
“I’m so sorry, Michelle,” Hillary quietly apologized, not being able to look the younger woman in the eye.  
“Hey, stop apologizing,” Michelle tried. "It wasn't your fault so stop blaming yourself. Okay?"  
Hillary bit her lip and nodded.  
“We should back to our hotel,” Michelle realized. “You must be exhausted. It was a long day.”  
Hillary nodded. “I am. And I have to go and babysit my granddaughter tonight.”  
Michelle nodded. “We’ll get out of your hair then. Thanks so much for having us and for cooking dinner.”  
“It was no trouble,” Hillary assured her.  
“We’ll come back tomorrow to say goodbye to Cassandra,” Michelle offered.  
Hillary nodded. “Of course.”  
Michelle hugged her goodbye. “We’ll see you tomorrow then.”  
Hillary nodded and hugged the younger woman in return. “Have a good night.”  
Michelle nodded. “You, too.”  
“I’m going to get ready to head over to my daughter’s house,” Hillary said.  
Michelle nodded again. “Have fun babysitting.”  
  


* * * * *

Once she had said her goodbyes to Barbara and Eric as well, and sent the three siblings off to their hotel in a cab, Hillary went upstairs to check on Cassandra. They needed to get ready to head over to Jessica’s house if they were going to get there in time to see Jessica off.  
“Hi, sweetie,” Hillary quietly cooed upon noticing that Cassandra was wide awake and alert. “How are you my sweet girl?” She gently scooped the baby up and held her close against her chest. “Come on, Princess,” she said, staring down at the sweet baby girl in her arms. “Let’s go get ready to see Bill and your big sisters and to help your big sister Jessie get ready for her date. Huh? How does that sound?” 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this chapter wasn't really Billary centric and focused more on Scott's family and Hillary's relationship with them. Originally, I was going to combine this chapter with the next one, where Hillary goes over to Bill and Jessica's townhouse to help Jessica get ready for her date and babysit Sophia. And her and Bill re-connect some more aftter the kids go to bed while Jessica's off on her date. And not that it would have been too long of a chapter because lord knows, I am no stranger to long chapters with this fic lol, but I decided that it wouldn't flow well and the two parts wouldn't really combine into one chapter very well. The tones and themes of each chapter are too different and I decided that it was better to make them two separate chapters. BUT, seeing as it is a long weekend, I've already written the next chapter. No promises, but I might just post it later on today lol (probably late Sunday night/early Monday morning in my timezone). I will try my best to do so, so stay tuned ;)


	43. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus update as promised! I hope everybody had a nice day today, whether you celebrated Valentines Day or not. It was just any other day for me as it usually is but I hope you felt the love today from the people in your lives, romantic love or otherwise :) And hopefully real life Billary had a nice day today! This isn't a Valentines Day chapter or anything but there is still plenty of love to go around in it! Enjoy!

Bill had left the door unlocked for Hillary, knowing that she was on her way over, and a few minutes later, Hillary entered the living room of Jessica's townhouse with Cassandra's car seat in her arms. She found Hayley and Sophia playing together while Bill supervised.   
"Hey!" Bill smiled excitedly over at her as she put Cassandra's car seat down and took a seat on the couch next to him. He reached over and gently scooped Cassandra up, cradling her tiny body in his arms. "How was your day, sweetheart? How did everything go with the will?"   
Hillary shrugged and sighed. "It was a really emotional day but everything went well I guess, other than Barbara being mad at me. He left Jessica one of his cars and all the girls got some money. He even started a college fund for Hayley."   
"Oh, wow," Bill said, clearly shocked by this news. "That was nice of him."  
Hillary nodded and let out a weary sigh. "Yeah." It had been a long and emotional day and she was ready to focus on something happier. "Is Jess getting ready for her date? I should go tell her about the car."  
Bill nodded and chuckled. "Yes, Chelsea is helping her. Last I heard, she didn't know what to do with her hair."   
Hillary chuckled softly in return. "I'll go help her."

* * * * *

"Mom!" Jessica frantically exclaimed, with a look of relief on her face when Hillary entered her bedroom a few minutes later. "Ugh, I'm freaking out."   
"Aww, don't be nervous, honey," Hillary assured her, softly smiling at her eldest daughter. "You look great." Jessica had settled on wearing a simple, classic black cocktail dress.   
"Do I have enough time to curl my hair?" Jessica nervously asked as she picked up her curling iron which she had already plugged in a few minutes prior.   
Hillary checked her watch and frowned. "It's almost eight, honey."   
"No!" Jessica let out a moan of frustration and started nervously playing with the silver bracelet that was around her wrist.   
"I can put it up in a ponytail for you?" Chelsea offered.   
"No! It has to be down!" Jessica frantically insisted.   
“Okay, sit down, honey,” Hillary said, gesturing to the chair in front of Jessica’s vanity. “I’ll curl it for you.”   
Jessica nervously nodded and sat down. “James will be here soon.”   
Hillary nodded. “We need to talk anyway. Chelsea, why don’t you go and see if your dad needs any help with the kids?”   
Chelsea nodded, sensing that her mother wanted to talk to Jessica about something in private. She left the room, leaving Hillary and Jessica alone to talk.   
“So, I have a surprise for you,” Hillary started, as she wrapped a strand of Jessica’s long blonde hair around the curling iron’s wand.   
“Oh?” Jessica said, intrigued. She raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what her mother had to say.   
“Scott left you his Mercedes convertible,” Hillary announced.   
“What?” Jessica gasped and Hillary saw the shock register on her face. “Seriously? Oh my God. No, no. I can’t take it. It’s too much.” If Hillary hadn’t been in the middle of curling her hair, she would have shaken her head in protest. “I have a toddler. It’s not practical.”   
Hillary shrugged. “Well, do whatever you want with it. Sell it or trade it in for something else. It’s yours now.”   
Jessica nodded and let out a chuckle of disbelief. “Wow, I can’t believe he left it to me.” She smirked. “That must have _really_ pissed Barbara off.”   
Hillary chuckled. “Yeah, it did. But she’s always pissed off.”   
Jessica loudly laughed just as Hillary finished doing her hair. She was reaching for a pair of large silver hoop earrings to put on when the doorbell rang.   
“Crap, he’s here!” Jessica whined as she frantically started putting her earrings in. “Shit, he wasn’t supposed to come to the door! I told him to wait in the car! Bill's going to scare him off!"   
“I’ll get it!” Bill cheerfully called up the stairs.   
“Noooo!” Jessica playfully groaned, causing Hillary to chuckle out of both amusement and sympathy. 

Bill opened the door to see a tall and lanky man about Bill's height, with short, wavy light brown hair, square rimless glasses, and a wiry frame standing on the doorstep holding a bouquet of red roses. He was dressed casually in tan colored khaki pants paired with a light blue plaid button up shirt. He looked very much the academic type that Jessica had described him as being.  
“You must be James.” Bill smiled warmly at him.   
“Yep, that’s me.” James let out a nervous chuckle. “Bill, right?”   
Bill nodded. “It’s very nice to finally meet you, James.”   
“I hope you don’t mind if I borrow Jessica for a few hours.” James nervously smiled at his girlfriend’s father.   
Being able to tell how nervous the younger man was, Bill decided to have some fun with him. “That’s fine with me as long as you plan on taking good care of her,” he warned.   
“He will!” Jessica quickly ran down the stairs and slipped on a pair of black stiletto heels. She didn’t want Bill to scare James off. “Anyways, bye guys!”   
“You’re not going to introduce me to him?” Hillary asked, coming down the stairs behind Jessica.   
“James, this is my mom, Hillary. Mom, this is James,” Jessica hurriedly said.   
“It’s very nice to meet you,” James smiled kindly over at Hillary. “Jessica has told me a lot about the both of you.”   
“I’ll be back around midnight. Thanks so much for watching Sophia,” Jessica appreciatively said to her parents, just as Chelsea brought Sophia into the foyer of the townhouse so that Jessica could say goodbye.   
“It’s no problem, sweetie,” Hillary assured her daughter. Jessica had watched Hayley and Cassandra countless times over the last few weeks so now it was time to repay the favor. “Have fun you guys.”   
“Mama!” Sophia cried out, not wanting her mother to leave.   
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Hillary said, grabbing Sophia from Chelsea and propping the toddler up against her hip. She noticed the guilty expression on Jessica’s face. “It’s okay, Jess. Go.” She urged. “She’ll be fine.”   
Jessica sadly sighed and nodded. “Bye, sweetheart. I love you. You’re going to have loads of fun with grandma and pop pop though. Okay?”   
Hillary pecked Sophia’s cheek, trying to calm her down as the toddler continued to cry loudly. She cuddled Sophia against her, as Jessica left with James before her mom guilt could keep her there.   
“Did you guys already eat dinner?” Hillary asked Bill after Bill had closed the door behind the young couple.   
Bill nodded. “Mmmm hmm. Why, are you hungry? I could make you a plate.”   
Hillary shook her head and bounced Sophia up and down, attempting to calm the screaming toddler down. “Jessica and James kind of remind me of us,” she said to Bill.   
“Really?” Bill asked, chuckling softly.   
“Yes, really.” Hillary nodded as Sophia finally calmed down some. She sniffled and gently rested her head in the crook of her grandmother’s neck. “I don’t know why.”   
“Do you miss being that young?” Bill quietly asked, with a nostalgic expression on his face.   
“Yeah.” Hillary sighed and nodded. “I do. We had our whole lives ahead of us.”   
Bill nodded in agreement. “I miss it, too. We used to have so much fun together. Those were some of the happiest days of my life. Thank you _so_ much for letting me into yours and Jessica’s lives.” He stared at Hillary earnestly.   
Hillary softly stared at him in return. “You don’t have to thank me, Bill. We were just as happy to have you in our lives.” She smiled nostalgically. “Especially Jess. She loved you so much. Almost as much as _I_ loved you.” She smirked teasingly.   
“I really think we can be that happy again,” Bill said in a serious tone. “All I need is you. I know you’re not ready _yet_ but one day, we can be that happy again. I promise."   
“Please understand _why_ I’m not ready yet,” Hillary quietly said, looking down.   
“Scott’s dead, Hillary,” Bill softly said in return, pointing out the obvious. “You’re free.”   
She stared at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry, Bill,” she finally said after a beat.   
Bill nodded and harshly sighed. “I know.”   
“Please don’t be mad at me,” Hillary begged, feeling guilty.   
"I'm not mad at you," Bill assured her in a soft tone of voice. "I'm mad at _myself_ for leaving in the first place."   
"Yeah, I wish you hadn't," Hillary said with a sigh. "But it's okay. Things got complicated and we both made mistakes. It's not entirely your fault."   
Bill nodded in agreement.   
"And for the record," Hillary added. "I _do_ want to be with you. I'm just such an emotional wreck right now. I'm just not ready."  
Bill nodded. "I understand. Take all the time you need."  
Hillary reached out with her free hand and gently touched Bill's shoulder. "I feel like I'm barely holding it together right now." She let out a watery chuckle.   
"Hey, you're doing great," Bill assured her, smiling tenderly at her.   
"Really?" Hillary asked skeptically. However, she felt grateful and relieved that Bill had said that.   
Bill nodded. "Really."  
Hillary nodded and gently squeezed Bill's shoulder. "I've never been happier than when I was your wife."   
"And I know that I can make you that happy again," Bill said softly as he stared deeply into Hillary's eyes.   
"I know." Hillary nodded. "But I'd like to take things slow if that's alright."  
Bill nodded. "Of course. And I think we're taking steps in the right direction with dating all over again."  
Hillary nodded in agreement. "Me, too." She weakly smiled at Bill. "Dating all over again sounds great."   
Bill softly smiled in return and nodded. "Good. I'm glad you agree."   
"Anyways, I'm going to go give Sophia a bath and put her to bed," Hillary said as she gently rubbed the toddler's back.   
Bill nodded just as Sophia started crying again. "Mama!" She whined.   
"Shhh, you're okay," Hillary soothed. "You'll see mama in the morning, okay? You're just sleepy because it is _way_ past your bedtime, Princess. How about grandma gives you a bath, huh?" She gently and reassuringly squeezed the toddler.   
Sophia sleepily nodded and sniffled as Hillary carried her upstairs to Jessica's master bedroom en suite bathroom. 

* * * * *

Sophia was happily splashing around in the bath while playing with her _Little Mermaid_ toys as Hillary marvelled over how much Sophia was just like Jessica was at that age, when Bill poked his head in the bathroom door.   
"Chelsea's reading Hayley a bedtime story in my room and Cassandra is sound asleep. I'm gonna run to the grocery store and get all of Jess's favorites. She's almost out of everything so I thought I'd surprise her," he said with a smile.   
"You're a good man, Bill Clinton." Hillary gave him a smile full of love and gratitude.   
Bill shrugged slightly and quietly chuckled. "I try. Anyways, I’ll be back in a few minutes."   
Hillary nodded and resumed giving Sophia a bath. 

“Stowy?” Sophia sweetly asked a few minutes later after they were finished and Hillary was gently drying her off with a towel.   
Hillary nodded. “I can read you a story as soon as we put your pajamas on.”   
She carried Sophia into Jessica’s bedroom and found a cute pair of light pink _Hello Kitty_ pajamas in Jessica’s dresser. After she had gotten Sophia dressed, she carried the toddler over to Jessica’s bed and cuddled up with her granddaughter. “How about I tell you a story instead?” Hillary asked as Sophia curled her body up into her grandmother's side.   
Sophia sweetly nodded. “Stowy.”   
Hillary nodded. “I’ll tell you one.”   
“Mama?” Sophia quietly said.   
“You want to hear a story about your mama?” Hillary asked.   
Sophia nodded. “Mama.”   
Hillary quietly chuckled. “I have lots of stories about your mama. Hmmm, what should I tell you?” She thought about it for a moment before she came up with something. “How about I tell you about the time your mommy met grandpa for the first time?”   
Sophia was eagerly looking up at her grandmother, waiting for Hillary to tell the story.   
Hillary smiled softly down at her granddaughter. “Well, let me go back to the beginning. It all started when your grandma and pop pop met in an elevator at work…” 

* * * * * 

“And eventually, grandma and pop pop got married while your Auntie Chelsea was in my tummy. And they lived happily ever after." She paused for a moment and chuckled to herself, thinking of all the ups and downs in her and Bill's relationship that had occurred over the last year and a half. "They lived happily ever after for the most part," she corrected. "The End.”   
Sophia had fallen asleep a few minutes prior, but Hillary had finished telling the story nonetheless. As she carefully got out of bed and gently scooped up the toddler, being careful not to wake her from her slumber, she noticed Bill standing in the doorway of Jessica’s bedroom.   
“How long have you been standing there?” Hillary asked, blushing.   
“Long enough,” Bill quietly chuckled. “I heard most of the story.”   
Hillary’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red and she nervously chuckled.   
“It was a great story,” Bill said as Hillary crossed the hall so that she could put Sophia to bed in her crib.   
She softly smiled to herself as she gently placed the toddler down into the crib. “I know.”   
Once she made sure that her granddaughter was settled, she got up on her tip-toes and lightly pecked Bill’s cheek.   
“Chelsea and Hayley are asleep in my bed,” Bill informed her. “And Cassandra’s still sleeping, too.”   
“So it’s just you and I,” Hillary realized with a cheeky grin on her face.   
Bill nodded, glad that Hillary had caught on to what he was trying to imply. “How about a drink? I got some wine and beer while I was out.”   
Hillary nodded. “Sure, that would be nice.”   
She followed Bill downstairs where he poured her a glass of Chardonnay and got a beer for himself.   
“Thank you, Bill.” Hillary tenderly smiled at him as he handed her her glass of wine.   
“You’re very welcome. Maybe we can reminiscence some more?” Bill suggested.   
Hillary nodded and followed Bill over to the living room couch. “That sounds great.”   
“Want to hang out?” Bill asked as they sat down together. “We could watch a movie or play cards or something?”   
“Yeah,” Hillary nodded and took a sip of wine. “Cards sounds good.”   
Bill nodded and smiled at Hillary excitedly. “Great. I’ll go get the deck.” 

* * * * * *

“We played cards while you were in labour with Chelsea,” Bill remembered as they started playing the first round. “While we were waiting for them to take you to the OR for your C-section.”   
“I remember,” Hillary said, nodding.   
“You were so cute,” Bill remarked, smiling at the memory.   
Hillary loudly scoffed. “ _Cute_ is the last thing I was.” She chuckled. “I was a nervous wreck.”   
“Yet, you were still cute,” Bill stated, giving her a knowing stare.   
She shook her head. “I know it wasn’t my first time going through it, but I was still terrified nonetheless. Thank you for being my rock that night.”   
“I was too excited to be mad or stressed,” Bill explained. “Plus, I knew the calmer I was, the better off you’d be.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement and chuckled. “I thought you were going to punch the doctor when they weren’t going to let you come with me for the C-section.”   
“I _wanted_ to punch him,” Bill admitted.   
“Thank you for using your charm to get permission to go with me.” Hillary softly smiled. “I don’t know what I would have done without you by my side, holding my hand."   
“That was one of the happiest nights of my life,” Bill remarked, smiling softly at Hillary.   
“We were pretty happy back then.” Hillary nodded in agreement and smiled at Bill in return. “Remember our wedding?”   
“Of course I remember our wedding.” Bill chuckled. “That was a great day.”   
Hillary nodded. “Thank you for marrying me.”   
“I should be thanking you for marrying _me_ ,” Bill retorted, laughing quietly.   
“I was so happy.” Hillary smiled to herself.   
“Yeah, me too.” Bill agreed. “But we should be talking about the present, not the past. I still want to be with you but you’re not ready yet so it's not easy to get all nostalgic with you right now. Let’s just talk about something else.”   
“We were so happy,” Hillary quietly said. “I thought I made you happy.” She frowned to herself.   
“You did,” Bill assured her. “ _I_ was the stupid one.”   
Hillary sadly sighed.   
“Everything that happened was all my fault, really,” Bill admitted, harshly sighing himself. “I’m so sorry for everything I did, Hillary.”   
“It’s okay,” Hillary said in a reassuring voice. “I forgive you.”   
She leaned in and gently started kissing him. Bill cupped her cheeks with his hands as he kissed her back softly in return. Hillary moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck as he deepened the kiss slightly. He pulled Hillary closer to him and rested his hands on her hips as he gently brushed his tongue over her lips. Hillary moaned loudly as Bill continued kissing her lovingly.   
“I love you so much, Hillary,” Bill quietly murmured.   
“I love you, too,” Hillary whispered before she started kissing him again.   
Bill parted his lips slightly so that Hillary could slip her tongue into his mouth. Bill growled softly and passionately kissed Hillary back in return. “Your lips are so soft,” he whispered when they broke a part for air. Hillary softly smiled at him and pecked his nose, causing Bill to chuckle.   
“I love you, Blondie.” He grinned at her.   
“Blondie,” Hillary chuckled and flashed Bill a bright, excited, and genuine smile. “You called me that on our second date.”   
Bill nodded, remembering their second date fondly.   
Their reminiscing and make out session was suddenly interrupted when Cassandra woke up and started crying.   
Hillary got up from the couch and gently scooped the infant up from her bassinet. “Hey, sweetie. What’s the matter?” She softly cooed. “Were you lonely?” She carried Cassandra back over to the couch and sat down, making sure that Cassandra was settled comfortably in her arms.   
Bill softly smiled over at the two of them as Hillary leaned down and gently pecked the top of Cassandra’s head. The baby started slowly calming down, as she had probably just wanted to be held.   
“Want me to take her?” Bill offered.   
Hillary nodded and gently passed her over. “Sure.”   
Cassandra cooed happily as Bill got her settled in his arms.   
“She’s so happy.” Hillary tenderly smiled, watching her daughter and ex-husband interact with each other.   
“I know.” Bill nodded. “It makes _me_ happy to see her like this.” He quietly chuckled. “She reminds me so much of her sisters.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”   
“You know that I love our girls so much but I am sorry that we never had a boy,” Bill said, frowning slightly.   
“Aww, it’s okay,” Hillary softly chuckled. “Apparently we were destined for girls. And hey, you never know. Maybe we’ll have a grandson one day.”   
Bill nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re right.”   
Hillary sadly sighed as they both noticed Cassandra staring happily up towards Bill. “She knows you better than she ever knew Scott.” She sadly shook her head to herself.   
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill whispered when he noticed her tearing up. “We’ll tell her about Scott. When she’s old enough to understand.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement and quickly brushed her tears away. “Right.”   
Cassandra yawned and her lips curled into a cute little ‘o’ shape as she did so. She smiled sleepily and closed her eyes again.   
Bill softly rubbed her back before he got up and put her back down into her bassinet.   
“She’s so cute,” he remarked.   
Hillary smiled and nodded in agreement. “She’s great.” She suddenly let out a yawn of her own and realized how late it was getting. She lay down on the couch.   
“You can have my bed,” Bill offered, wanting her to be comfortable. “I’ll take the couch.”   
Hillary shook her head. “I don’t want to put you out.”   
“Chelsea and Hayley are already sleeping in my bed so that ship has sailed,” Bill joked.   
Hillary chuckled. “It’s okay. You guys take it. I can sleep in Jessica’s room tonight.”   
Bill nodded in agreement, just wanting Hillary to be comfortable. “Alright, then. Whatever you want, darlin'."   
“Goodnight,” Hillary said.   
“Night,” Bill said before he leaned over and softly pecked her cheek.   
She weakly smiled before they both went upstairs and went to their separate rooms. 

* * * * * 

Hillary had been sleeping soundly when she was awoken by Jessica stumbling around, trying to get changed into her pajamas in the dark, being careful not to wake her mother up.   
“Hey,” Hillary sleepily mumbled as she turned the bedside lamp on.   
“Oh, hey,” Jessica said, feeling guilty that Hillary had woken up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. How are you?”   
Hillary shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess. How was your night?”   
Jessica grinned excitedly. “Amazing!”   
Hillary could tell that her daughter was giddy and a little tipsy. She smiled to herself. “I’m glad you had a good time.” She looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand and chuckled when she saw it was just after one in the morning. “It’s late. What did you guys do?”   
“We went to dinner, and then we got coffee together, and then we went back to his place for a while,” Jessica answered with a dreamy smile on her face as she got changed into her pajamas.   
“That’s nice,” Hillary said through a yawn.   
Jessica smiled and nodded. “We’re going to meet up for coffee again some time next week.”   
“That’s great, sweetie.” Hillary nodded.   
“I know.” Jessica nodded excitedly. “I’m so happy right now.”   
“I’m glad, Jessie,” Hillary said softly as Jessica crawled into bed with her mother and cuddled up to Hillary.   
“So, what did you and Bill get up to?” Jessica asked curiously.   
“Reminisced.” Hillary quietly chuckled.   
“And is that a good thing?” Jessica asked with an excited and intrigued smile.   
Hillary nodded. “It was a great night.” She sighed to herself. “I just wish things were simple. I’m in such a weird place mentally right now. I’m still mourning Scott but I think about Bill _constantly_.” She sighed again. “I feel like I’m an awful person.”   
“You’re not, Mom.” Jessica sighed and reassuringly rubbed her mother’s back. “It’s okay to still be mourning Scott but you were thinking about Bill _long_ before Scott passed away.”   
Hillary nodded, knowing that her daughter was right. “I never _stopped_ thinking about Bill. Which is probably why I feel so guilty.”   
“You can’t help the way you feel,” Jessica pointed out. “You shouldn’t let your guilt hold you back from doing what you truly want to do.”   
Hillary shook her head. “No. This isn’t right.”   
“What isn’t right?” Jessica asked softly, placing a reassuring hand on her mother’s left thigh.   
“My husband died,” Hillary pointed out. “Granted, we weren’t meant for each other, but he was still my husband.”   
“That doesn’t mean that your life has to just stop just because he’s dead,” Jessica remarked.   
“I just feel so guilty,” Hillary whispered and sadly shook her head.   
“Mom.” Jessica leaned over and gently pecked Hillary’s cheek. “You just have to let yourself be happy, Mama. I see the way you look at Bill, like he could light up your whole world. You just don’t let him.” Jessica softly chuckled before she continued. “And he’s so terrified that he’s going to lose you that he’s not going to do anything about his own feelings for you until you give him some kind of a sign that you’re ready.” Jessica quietly sighed. “He’s your best friend, Mom. You two _need_ to be together. I’m not saying to do anything drastic but don’t hold yourself back. If you feel like hanging out with him, or going on a date or whatever, just do it.”   
Hillary nodded, knowing that Jessica had made good points and that her daughter was one hundred percent right. “okay, honey. I won't hold back.”   
Jessica softly smiled and yawned, glad that she had apparently gotten through to her mother. “Good. Now turn the light out. Let’s go to sleep.”   
Hillary nodded and flicked off the bedside lamp.   
“I really like James.” Jessica giggled as her and Hillary lay down together.   
“I’m glad, honey.” Hillary softly smiled to herself, glad that her daughter was happy. “Now get some rest and I’ll make us all pancakes in the morning.”   
Jessica tipsily giggled again. “Okay. Goodnight, Mom.”   
“Night, honey.” Hillary leaned over and gently pecked Jessica’s forehead. Before she knew it, Jessica’s breathing had evened out and she was sound asleep.   
Hillary tried to fall back asleep herself but she had too much on her mind and she felt restless. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up on trying to fall asleep and instead carefully and quietly got out of bed. She tip-toed across the hallway to Bill’s bedroom where she found him still awake, reading a book while Hayley and Chelsea were sound asleep in bed beside him.   
She quietly creeped into the bedroom and climbed into bed with Bill and their children.   
“You okay?” Bill asked, looking over at her.   
Hillary shook her head. “Not really,” She whispered.   
“What is it?” Bill asked softly, as he closed his book and took his reading glasses off.   
Hillary shrugged slightly and rested her head against his shoulder. “Can you just hold me for a while?”   
“That sounds great,” Bill whispered. They lay down together and he wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist.   
“This is like when Jessica and Chelsea were little,” Hillary remarked, as she stared over at a sleeping Chelsea and Hayley. "And they would crawl into our bed in the middle of the night." She smiled to herself at the sweet memory.   
Bill nodded and softly rubbed Hillary’s back. “Yep.”   
Hillary felt safe in Bill’s arms as he leaned down and softly pecked her forehead. “Do I drive you crazy?” She suddenly asked him.   
“No.” Bill answered and shook his head. “No. Not at all.”   
Hillary nodded, glad to hear it. “I think I drive _myself_ crazy. I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life now.”   
“Well, I know you and I have no doubt that you’ll figure it out,” Bill whispered as he reassuringly rubbed her back again. “I just hope that whatever you end up doing, that I’ll be included.”   
“Do you think you will be?” Hillary whispered in return.   
“I hope so,” Bill honestly answered, giving Hillary a loving and tender stare.   
“So do I,” Hillary earnestly answered as she curled up against his body. She kissed his cheek as he stared down at her.   
He smiled softly to himself.   
“You need to shave.” Hillary quietly giggled.   
“I kind of like the stubble.” Bill shrugged slightly.   
“But it scratches when I kiss you.” Hillary giggled again.   
“Well, I’ll happily shave then if it means you’d be more willing to kiss me.” Bill gave her a good-humored smile.   
He playfully rubbed his cheek against hers, causing her to chuckle quietly.   
“Stop!” She giggled.   
“You’re so cute, Blondie,” Bill said, smirking down at her.   
She smiled up at him before she gave him a quick peck on the lips and then subsequently yawned.   
“I’ll stop bothering you so that you can get some sleep,” Bill said. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.   
Hillary sat up and started climbing out of the bed, planning on going back to Jessica’s room.   
“Stay,” Bill whispered with a pleading look on his face.   
Hillary bit her lip and nodded a moment later. “Okay. I’ll stay.” She lay back down beside Bill and pulled the covers up and around them.   
“Goodnight, Hilly,” Bill whispered.   
“Goodnight, Bill,” Hillary whispered in return before she leaned over and gently pecked his cheek.   
As she lay her head down against his chest, Bill started gently playing with her hair, knowing that she liked it when he did that, and hoping that it would help her fall asleep faster.   
They stayed that way until they both eventually drifted off to sleep.   
  


To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write and one of those chapters that had been in my head for so long, it felt good to finally get it out and onto paper. So I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> You can re-read From This Moment On and particularly chapters three and four if you want to know the bedtime story that Hillary told Sophia. There was no point in writing it all out when all the specific details are in that fic lol. And I'm sure Hillary told her an abbreviated, kid friendly version of their love story ;) 
> 
> And writing Overprotective Dad Bill was fun even though he only made a brief appearance haha. I have some juicy and exciting stuff planned for Jessica (not a surprise pregnancy though, don't worry haha) coming up so I am sure Overprotective Dad Bill (and Overprotective Mom Hillary) will make future appearances ;) 
> 
> I hope everybody had a great weekend and here's to an awesome week ahead! Until next time!


	44. Next to Normal

The following morning when Bill woke up, Hillary, Chelsea, and Hayley were all still sound asleep. Bill squinted at the alarm clock on the nightstand and realized that it was still early. Hillary was usually an early bird and Bill was the one who liked sleeping in but their roles were reversed this morning. Bill decided to let his girls sleep in while he went downstairs to get stared on breakfast. Jessica and Sophia were already awake and cuddled up on the couch together watching _Beauty and the Beast_. Sophia was eating her breakfast and Jessica was drinking her morning coffee. The roses that James had given Jessica the night before were in a vase on the dining room table.   
“Morning,” Jessica greeted before she took a sip of coffee, as she saw Bill enter the living room.   
“Morning, girls,” Bill said with a smile as Sophia cooed excitedly at the sight of her grandfather.   
Jessica smiled to herself as Bill gave each of them a peck on the forehead. She also gave Bill a knowing smile, knowing that her mom had probably spent the night in Bill’s room since her bed had been empty when she woke up that morning.   
Bill just shrugged and smirked in return, noticing Jessica’s facial expression before he decided to change the subject. “Want some breakfast, Jess?”   
She nodded. “Sure, thanks. I can make it. Mom said she was going to make pancakes but let’s let her sleep.”   
Bill nodded in agreement. “I don’t think she’ll mind. I think we can handle making some pancakes.” He quietly chuckled to himself.   
Jessica nodded in agreement as she put Sophia in her playpen and went to help Bill in the kitchen.   
“How was your date last night?” Bill asked her as he started cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.   
“Oh my God. It was perfect!” Jessica gushed while pouring herself another cup of coffee. “He’s a great guy, Bill.”   
“Good.” Bill nodded and smiled to himself. “I’m glad you had a nice time.”   
“Me, too.” Jessica grinned excitedly as she got the flour out of the kitchen pantry.   
“I need to meet him,” Bill casually remarked.   
“You did meet him,” Jessica pointed out.   
“I know,” Bill sighed in frustration and gave Jessica his best “don’t be a smart-ass” look. “But I need to have a proper meeting with him. We need to have a little talk.”   
“No,” Jessica shook her head as she started getting the dry ingredients for the pancakes prepared. “It’s too soon, Bill.”   
“I don’t think so,” Bill retorted.   
“Yes!” Jessica insisted. She sighed. “Bill, don’t. I don’t know him that well yet.”   
“Well, I don’t know him at all,” Bill countered. “I need to make sure he’s a good guy.”   
“You scare guys away,” Jessica said.   
“Oh, I do not.” Bill chuckled slightly and shook his head.   
“Yes, you do!” Jessica chuckled in return. “All my ex boyfriends were terrified of you.”   
“Why?” Bill raised his right eyebrow and shrugged. “I’m a nice guy, aren’t I?”   
“Not to my boyfriends,” Jessica playfully argued as Hillary came downstairs and entered the kitchen.   
“Good morning,” she greeted as she headed towards the coffeemaker to pour herself a cup.   
“Mom, tell Bill that he scares my boyfriends away,” Jessica said.   
“You scare her boyfriends away, honey,” Hillary teasingly said with a playful smirk on her face as she poured her coffee.   
“Oh, I do not!” Bill insisted and shook his head in disbelief. He chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes.   
Hillary just shook her head to herself. “Don’t scare James away just yet,” she teased.   
“I don’t scare them!” Bill insisted. “And listen, Jessie. If all it takes is for me to scare them off, then they obviously aren’t worthy of you.”   
“He has a point, Jess,” Hillary pointed out before she took a sip of her coffee.   
“You guys get too overprotective of me though,” Jessica argued. “I can figure them out for myself.”   
“Well, I have to meet him at _some_ point, Jess,” Bill pointed out.   
“Yeah. Once we’re engaged,” Jessica deadpanned with a chuckle.   
“Jessica!” Bill exclaimed. “Come on, I’m not _that_ bad.”   
Hillary chuckled. “Don’t get upset. We’re just teasing you, honey.”   
Bill sighed, feeling frustrated all of a sudden, even if he knew that his wife and daughter _were_ just teasing and having some fun with him.   
“Aww, it’s okay, Bill,” Jessica assured him. She gently and reassuringly rubbed his back. “James _does_ want to properly meet you guys some time.”   
“For real?” Bill checked.   
Jessica nodded. “Of course.” She went back to the task at hand and began stirring up the pancake batter. “I told him it's still too early right now though.”   
Bill nodded in agreement. “But soon. Okay?”   
Jessica nodded. “Deal. He’s really great, Bill. I promise.”   
“Well, I just want to see for myself,” Bill explained. “To assuage some of my worries.”   
Jessica sighed to herself and bit her lower lip.   
“Oh, Jessie.” Hillary came over and gently rubbed her lower back. “It’s not a big deal. We just want to get to know him.”   
“I really want this relationship to work,” Jessica worriedly explained.   
“And James meeting Bill isn’t going to stop it from working,” Hillary pointed out.   
“Bill has a record of scaring away or not approving of my past boyfriends,” Jessica argued.   
“He’s a good judge of character, honey,” Hillary replied with a slight shrug.   
“And we worry about you,” Bill piped in.   
“I can take care of myself,” Jessica insisted.   
Bill smirked and quietly chuckled to himself. His stepdaughter was _just_ like her mother sometimes. She was certainly as stubborn as her mother was. “Why should you have to do that when you have me?”   
“Because I’m an adult,” Jessica pointed out. She laughed quietly to herself.   
“Okay, then.” Bill shrugged as he added a few chocolate chips to the pancake batter.   
“You guys can’t do _everything_ for me,” Jessica insisted.   
“We just want to help you,” Bill explained.   
“I know,” Jessica conceded with a shrug as she grabbed the bacon out of the refrigerator. “But I have to figure things out for myself. Don’t worry, you guys can meet him properly when the time is right and I’m ready to take that step. Okay?”   
“Fine, fine,” Bill conceded with a playful and loving smile as Jessica gave him a side hug. He leaned over and gently pecked her cheek.   
“Thank you for being protective though,” Jessica said, squeezing her stepfather slightly. “It is very sweet.”   
“No problem, Jess,” Bill assured her. “I love you.”   
“Love you, too,” Jessica replied before she gave her stepfather a conspiratorial grin. “So, when are you and Mom getting remarried, anyways?”   
“I don’t know.” Bill laughed Jessica’s comment off, not wanting to make Hillary uncomfortable. “When are you going to stop being so nosy?”   
“I don’t know.” Jessica giggled in return and rubbed Bill’s cheek. “When are you going to shave?” She countered.   
“I like it like this,” Bill argued.   
“I think it’s nice,” Hillary piped in.   
Bill grinned at her as she gave him a knowing wink.   
“Oh my God. You guys are _too_ cute,” Jessica commented, as she smiled to herself, glad to see her parents getting back on the right track with each other.   
“Oh, hush,” Hillary admonished.   
“Nope.” Jessica shook her head and playfully smirked at her mother.   
“Hey, listen to your mother,” Hillary teased, chuckling quietly to herself.   
“I do,” Jessica insisted. “That’s why I’m so sassy.” She winked at her mother.   
Hillary rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’re so mean to me.”   
“Am not!” Jessica pretended to scoff before she laughed and smiled at her mother. “I love you.”   
“I love you, too, Jessie,” Hillary replied with a chuckle. “You’re my favorite oldest daughter.”   
“Mmmm hmm.” Jessica chuckled and teasingly shook her head in return.   
Their banter was briefly interrupted when Cassandra suddenly started crying.   
“I’ll be right back,” Hillary said to her daughter and ex-husband before she went into the living room to go check on her youngest daughter.   
“Hi, baby girl!” She quietly cooed, as she gently scooped the baby up and out of her bassinet.   
“Is she okay?” Bill called from the kitchen.   
“Yep!” Hillary called back. “I think she’s just hungry.”   
Bill nodded and went back to focusing on making breakfast.   
Once the baby had been fed and gotten a diaper change, she was much more content. Hillary placed Cassandra back down in her bassinet and re-joined Bill and Jessica in the kitchen.   
“I wanted to cook you all pancakes this morning,” Hillary remarked as she noticed the two of them finishing up breakfast.   
“Sorry,” Jessica apologized as she carefully flipped the pancakes that were currently bubbling away in a frying pan on the stove. “We wanted to let you sleep in.”   
“You could have woken me up,” Hillary replied with a shrug.   
Jessica shrugged in response. “Sorry,” she apologized again. “But it's ready now.”   
“I'll go get the girls up,” Bill offered.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said as Jessica passed her a plate. Bill went upstairs while Hillary and Jessica headed over to the dining room table with their plates. “Thanks for making breakfast, sweetie. It looks good.”   
“It was no problem,” Jessica assured her mom with a gentle smile as the two women took a seat at the table.   
“Those are pretty,” Hillary remarked, staring at the flowers that James had given Jessica.   
“I know, right?” Jessica gushed. “He is _so_ sweet. He’s the best, Mom. He even bought a necklace for Sophia.”   
Hillary smiled to herself. That had definitely earned him some brownie points with Hillary.   
“Morning,” Jessica suddenly greeted, as she noticed her younger sisters coming downstairs with Bill.   
“Morning,” Chelsea replied with a soft smile as she hugged Hillary.   
“Mommy!” Hayley squealed, reaching her arms out for her mother.   
“Hi, sweetie!” Hillary grinned as she scooped up her daughter and got the young girl settled comfortably on her lap. “I love you.”   
“Love you!” Hayley happily said in return as Hillary kissed the top of her head.   
Hillary smiled to herself. “Are you hungry, sweetie?”   
Hayley sweetly nodded. “Oh, yeah!”   
Hillary chuckled. “Well let’s eat then.”   
“Pancakes!” Hayley excitedly chuckled.   
Jessica smiled softly as she fixed Hayley and Chelsea’s plates.   
“Where’s the baby?” Hayley suddenly asked.   
“Sleeping,” Hillary answered.   
“She’s sleepy?” Hayley asked.   
“Yep.” Hillary nodded as she took a bite of her pancakes.   
Hayley nodded and faked a yawn.   
“You aren’t sleepy, silly!” Hillary teased as she tickled Hayley.   
“Uh-huh!” Hayley squealed and giggled in delight. She faked another yawn.   
“Silly girl,” Hillary said, chuckling to herself.   
Bill kissed Hayley’s forehead before he joined the rest of his family around the breakfast table.   
Hayley grinned and blew Bill a kiss in return.   
“You are so sweet,” Bill complimented with a smile.   
Hayley nodded and smiled. “Love you, daddy.”   
“And I love you, too, Hayls,” Bill replied, staring at her warmly.   
“Love the baby?” Hayley asked him as she tilted her head to the side.   
Bill nodded. “I love Cassandra, too.”   
Hillary stared over at Bill, her face a mixture of love and surprise. She was so touched that Bill loved and treated as his own, not just one, but _two_ of her children. Not a lot of men would be so loving and understanding. She felt so incredibly blessed to have Bill in her life.   
Bill didn’t notice Hillary staring over at him as he continued talking to Hayley.   
“Mama says the baby is sleeping,” Hayley remarked.   
Bill nodded. “That’s right. The baby is sleepy right now.”   
Hayley nodded and happily ate her pancakes.   
“So, what do you girls want to do today?” Bill asked. It was a Saturday and they had the whole day ahead of them.   
“Park!” Hayley immediately answered. “Play!”   
Bill chuckled and nodded. “Sure, we can go to the park. It’s supposed to be a beautiful day out.”   
Hayley squealed excitedly and reached for Bill.   
“I’m glad you’re such a sweet girl,” Bill commented as he grabbed Hayley from Hillary.   
“Sweet,” Hayley commented, leaning over and pecking her dad’s forehead.   
“Now you’re just proving my point.” Bill chuckled again as Hayley gently pecked his cheek this time.   
Hayley grinned. “I love you, daddy!” She repeated.   
“I love you more.” Bill grinned. “Now let’s finish breakfast and get ready to go to the park.”   
  


* * * * * *

Hillary had just finished changing Hayley into a pink sundress with purple flowers on it before they headed off to the park.   
“You look beautiful, Hayls,” Hillary complimented.   
“Thanks!” Hayley grinned and spun around, showing off the dress she had picked out.   
Hillary chuckled to herself as Bill poked his head into Jessica’s bedroom.   
“Are you guys almost ready to go?” He asked.   
“I still have to get dressed,” Hillary answered.   
Bill nodded as Jessica came into the room.   
“What are you doing today?” Hillary asked her.   
Jessica shrugged. “Nothing much. Probably just catching up on schoolwork. I have some reading to do.”   
She only had a few more weeks of her graduate program left to go.   
Hillary nodded understandingly. “Do you want us to take Sophie to the park with us? So you can concentrate?”   
“Sure.” Jessica shrugged. “If you want to.”   
“Okay, we will.” Hillary nodded. “You should be able to focus.”   
“Thanks.” Jessica gave her mom a grateful smile. She was so glad that her parents were supportive grandparents.   
“No problem,” Hillary replied and reassuringly squeezed Jessica’s shoulder.   
“Those jeans look good on you,” Jessica complimented as Hillary pulled them on.   
Hillary blushed and shook her head, chuckling to herself.   
“I mean it!” Jessica insisted. “Your ass looks amazing in them.”   
“Jessica!” Hillary’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink.   
Jessica smirked and giggled. “I bet Bill will be staring _all_ day,” she teased.   
“Oh, hush,” Hillary lightly admonished.   
Bill awkwardly looked away from the both of them as his cheeks also flushed a light shade of pink.   
He distracted himself by scooping up Sophia.   
“Mama!” She reached her arms out to Jessica.   
“Wanna go to the park with grandma and pop pop and your aunties?” Bill gently asked as he kissed his granddaughter’s cheek.   
She shook her head. “No. Mama.”   
“Aww, come on, Soph!” Bill chuckled and tickled her. “It’ll be fun!”   
“Awww!” Sophia squealed loudly as Bill tickled her. She giggled. “Pop pop!”   
Bill grinned as he kissed her cheek again. He noticed that Hillary and Hayley were finished getting ready. “Come on. Let’s go.”   
  


* * * * * 

  
“Jessica was right, you know?” Bill remarked as the family walked to the nearby park that was in walking distance from Jessica’s townhouse.   
“About what?” Hillary asked confusedly as she pushed Cassandra’s stroller.   
“Your ass looks _perfect_ in those jeans,” Bill complimented with a playful glint in his eyes.   
Hillary blushed before she smiled softly to herself. “Stop it.”   
Bill smirked. “I couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”   
Hillary chuckled and smirked in return. “It’s okay.”   
Bill couldn’t help but grin to himself before he leaned over and lightly pecked Hillary’s cheek.   
“Mama, park!” Hayley whined as she tugged on Hillary’s arm.   
“Okay, okay,” Hillary said. “We’re almost there, Hayls. Just a few more minutes.” She chuckled. “You’re so bossy, Miss Hayley.”   
Hayley nodded absentmindedly. “Yep.”   
Bill chuckled. “We need to work on that.”   
Hayley smiled sweetly in return causing Bill to shake his head at her, fondly.   
“Love you, daddy!” Hayley grinned up at him.   
“What about mama?” Hillary asked with a smile.   
“Yep!” Hayley nodded, still with a wide grin on her face. “Love you, mama!”   
Hillary smiled softly at her daughter. “Mama loves you, too.”   
“Aww, yeah!” Hayley squealed excitedly as they arrived at the park. “Park!”   
“Have fun, little one,” Hillary remarked before she let Hayley run off to play.   
Sophia started wriggling around in her stroller.   
“Do you want to play, too, Miss Sophie?” Hillary asked, as she started unbuckling Sophia from the stroller.   
“I’ll go watch Hayley,” Bill offered.   
“I’ll come,” Hillary said with a nod as Bill ran after Hayley and Chelsea went over to a bench with Cassandra.   
“Swing!” Hayley squealed.   
Bill picked her up and placed her in one of the swings while Hillary placed Sophia in one of the baby swings.   
Just as she gently started pushing Sophia, the toddler started wriggling around, with an antsy expression on her face. Hillary took her out of the swing and decided to let her crawl around in the thick green grass instead.   
She frowned up at her grandmother. “Pop pop.”   
“What about grandma?” Hillary asked her. “Don’t you want to play with me?”   
Sophia shook her head. “Pop pop.”   
Hillary chuckled to herself. She couldn’t really blame Sophia for wanting to spend time with Bill. “Come on, sweetie.” She scooped her up and carried her back over to the swings. “She wants her grandpa right now,” Hillary explained to Bill with a smile. “I’ll push Hayley on the swings.”   
“Hi, Sophie!” Bill grinned as he grabbed his granddaughter from Hillary.   
Sophia squealed excitedly and lightly pecked her grandfather’s cheek.   
“Mama!” Hayley squealed as Hillary gently pushed her on the swings.   
“Yes, baby?” Hillary asked.   
“Play with me!” Hayley squealed.   
“At least you enjoy my company.” Hillary chuckled to herself.   
“Slide,” Hayley said a few minutes later after she got tired of swinging on the swings.   
Hillary smiled to herself. “Let’s go down the slide.”   
  


“Catch me,” Hayley said a few moments later from the top of the slide.   
“Of course, baby.” Hillary nodded.   
Hayley squealed in delight as she slid down the slide and into her mother’s arms. Hillary hugged her tight, scooping her up in the process.   
“Again!” Hayley squealed.   
Hillary chuckled and nodded. They repeated the process a few more times, before Hayley tired herself out.   
And as much fun as Hillary was having playing with her daughter in the park, she couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that had suddenly overcome her a few minutes prior. She grabbed Hayley’s hand and led the little girl over to where Bill was playing with Sophia.   
“Want to get going?” She asked him.   
“Um, sure,” Bill said. “If you want.” He raised his eyebrow in confusion. “The girls are having fun though.”   
“I just need to get out of here,” Hillary explained, not wanting to go into details. “We can go back to my place and they can play in the backyard?” She suggested. “They have their playset there.”   
Bill shrugged and nodded. He was still confused and he knew something was going on that Hillary wasn’t telling him but he just wanted Hillary to be comfortable. “Sure. Whatever you want, sweetheart.” He lovingly leaned down and softly pecked the top of Hillary’s head. 

* * * * * *

“That was fast,” Jessica remarked as the family arrived back at Jessica’s place to drop off Sophia’s stroller and toys. She had just finished showering and was coming down the stairs, towel drying her hair as she went.   
“I have a headache,” Hillary lied, not wanting to tell Jessica the truth that she just wanted to go back to a comfortable and familiar setting. “We’re going to head over to my house now. The girls can continue playing in the backyard over there. You wanna come, too?” She offered. “You can use my home office to study?”   
Jessica shrugged. She didn’t mind that idea and she didn’t have any other plans for the day. “Sure.”   
“You don’t have to,” Hillary clarified, noticing her daughter’s nonchalance. “I was just offering.”   
“No.” Jessica nodded. “I will. I don’t mind.”   
“Great,” Hillary chirped. “Let’s go.” 

* * * * * *

Once they arrived back at Hillary’s house, Jessica went up to Hillary’s office to study and Chelsea decided to read in her bedroom. After Bill and Hillary had taken the younger girls outside, Hillary sat down in the grass with Hayley and Sophia as they started playing together. She was carefully cradling a sleepy but content Cassandra in her arms. Bill came over and sat down with his ex-wife.   
“Hey, I’m sorry about earlier,” Hillary apologized. “I know the girls were having a good time at the park. I just started feeling really anxious all of a sudden.” She frowned to herself.   
“Hey, it’s okay,” Bill assured her. He knew that it had been a rough couple of weeks and months for his ex-wife. He reassuringly squeezed her shoulder. “I understand.”   
“Thank you.” Hillary nodded gratefully and smiled to herself as Bill leaned over and softly pecked her cheek.   
Meanwhile, Cassandra curiously looked up at Bill causing Bill to smile down at her in return.   
“Hi, sweetie,” he quietly said, as he leaned down and gently pecked the baby's forehead.   
“All babies love you,” Hillary remarked. She chuckled to herself. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  
“I am a pretty loveable guy,” Bill teased with a sparkle in his eyes.   
Hillary chuckled again. “You sure are.” She suddenly got a nostalgic and faraway look in her eyes. “I remember when I first realized that I loved you.”   
Bill looked over at her softly. He reached over and gently rubbed her back. “And when was that?”   
“After our second date,” Hillary admitted.   
“You knew that early?” Bill raised his eyebrows in surprise.   
“Yep.” Hillary nodded and chuckled. “You can ask Melissa. I went over to her house the next day after work, kind of freaking out.”   
Bill smiled weakly to himself. He never knew that before. “Well, _how_ did you know?” Now he was curious.  
“When you dropped me off back at my apartment after our date,” Hillary began. “And you expressed concern about the neighborhood I lived in. No man I’d ever been with had ever worried or cared about me like that before.”   
Bill replayed the moment in his head, remembering it, and then nodded a moment later. “I was worried about you because you lived in that neighborhood and it wasn’t the best place to live. I left that night worried that I had offended you, though.”   
“No, no, no,” Hillary assured him. “I mean, yeah, I was slightly offended. It was all I could afford at the time. It’s not like I _wanted_ to live in that neighborhood. Especially with a young child. But with you, I just felt so happy and safe.” She dreamily smiled before she continued. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and smiling to myself at work the next day. And then I freaked out a little because I realized I had never really felt that way about a man before. I don’t necessarily know if I was _in_ love with you yet but I just knew that I already loved you. Does that make sense?” She shyly smiled over at Bill.  
“Kind of,” Bill nodded and softly smiled at her in return. “So when did you realize that you were _in_ love with me?”   
“The first time you took me back to your place,” Hillary answered, giving Bill a loving and tender stare. “And we went swimming together, remember? Then, it wasn’t just a caring love anymore. It was an ‘I need to be with you forever’ kind of love by then.”   
Bill weakly smiled to himself and gently squeezed Hillary’s shoulder.   
“That was the first night we had sex,” Hillary reminded him with a smirk.   
“I remember,” Bill replied with a smirk of his own as he fondly thought back to that moment.   
“We were _so_ young,” Hillary remarked as she stared off into the distance.   
“Mmmm hmmm,” Bill hummed and nodded in agreement, as he stared nostalgically over at Hillary.   
The two of them were broken out of their reverie when Jessica came outside.   
“Hey, honey,” Hillary greeted, smiling softly at her daughter as Jessica approached the two of them.   
“What’s up?” Jessica asked them, as she took a seat in the grass with her parents.   
“Nothing much, Kitty Cat,” Hillary answered. “Why aren’t you studying?”   
Jessica shrugged. “I needed a study break.”   
“It’s barely been fifteen minutes, baby,” Hillary replied with a soft chuckle.   
Jessica shrugged and chuckled in return. “But I love you, guys.” She smiled innocently over at her parents.   
“And we love you, too.” Hillary laughed and gently rubbed Jessica’s back with the free hand that wasn’t holding Cassandra.   
“And I’m glad you’re here, Bill,” Jessica suddenly said. “I missed you _so_ much while you were in Arkansas.”   
“Well, I’m sure I missed you guys _more_ ,” Bill replied.   
Jessica smiled over at him. “You’re so sweet.”   
Bill chuckled and shrugged. “I try.”  
Hillary and Jessica chuckled as Sophia excitedly crawled over to the three of them. “Mama!”   
“Hi, baby girl!” Jessica grinned at her daughter as she scooped her up and got Sophia settled in her lap.   
“She looks _exactly_ like you,” Hillary remarked. Sometimes she was in awe of how much Jessica and Sophia looked alike.   
“I know.” Jessica nodded and smiled fondly as Hayley joined the rest of her family.   
“Hi, Mommy,” Hayley happily said.   
“Hi, honey!” Hillary replied with a grin.   
Hayley giggled and also waved at Bill before she blew her dad a kiss.   
“I think these two are going to be best friends one day,” Jessica smiled, referring to the relationship that Hayley and Sophia had. Hayley still had her odd moments of jealousy but for the most part, the two of them had been getting along and playing well together over the last couple of weeks.   
Bill smiled softly at that thought. “I hope so.”   
“ _Little Mermaid_?” Hayley suddenly said, staring sweetly at her older sister.   
Jessica chuckled. “You want to watch _The_ _Little Mermaid_ again? Haven’t you seen it enough times already?” She chuckled again. “Why don’t you two play outside for now since it's so nice out today and then you girls can watch _The Little Mermaid_ later. Okay?”   
Hayley seemed okay with that compromise and nodded. “Okay!” She happily nodded. “Mama, play with us!” She eagerly grabbed Hillary’s hand.   
“Okay, okay.” Hillary chuckled before she passed Cassandra over to Bill so that she could get up and play with her daughter and granddaughter.   
Hayley giggled hysterically as Hillary chased her and Sophia around the backyard. She squealed excitedly as Hillary scooped her up. “Down!” She squealed. Hillary spun her around before she put her down and sat down in the grass with her.   
“I love you!” Hillary murmured into Hayley’s curly hair, before she kissed the top of her head.   
“Aww, love you, too, Mama!” Hayley happily said as she smiled sweetly.   
She kissed Hillary’s cheek as Sophia crawled over to the two of them. Hillary reached for her and gently placed her granddaughter on her lap causing Sophia to giggle happily. Hillary also placed a gentle kiss on the top of Sophia’s head.   
“Mama,” Sophia cooed.   
Hillary chuckled. “No. I’m grandma, silly.”   
“No, mama!” Sophia loudly whined.   
Hillary sighed and frowned, remembering how Sophia had preferred to spend time with Bill over Hillary at the park earlier. And now Sophia wanted to spend time with her mother over her grandmother. “She hates me.” She sadly sighed to herself.   
“What? No!” Jessica said, as she came over and gently scooped Sophia up. “You love your grandma, don’t you, Soph?”   
Sophia sweetly smiled and nodded.   
“There we go,” Jessica said, smiling at both her mother and her daughter. “Let grandma hold you. Mama has to study.”   
Sophia shook her head and crawled towards Hayley as soon as Jessica put her back down.   
Jessica just shrugged before she sighed and groaned to herself. “Ugh, I’m so tired.”  
“Go take a nap then,” Bill gently suggested.   
Jessica shook her head. “I can’t. I have too much reading to do. I’m gonna get back to it.”   
Bill and Hillary nodded.   
“We’ll watch Sophie,” Bill said.   
“Thank you,” Jessica gratefully said. “You guys are the _best_. Can I use your computer, Mom?”   
Hillary nodded. “Sure, baby.”   
“Thanks,” Jessica said. She flashed her parents a smile before she went inside to get back to her schoolwork.   
  


* * * * *

Once she had found some music to listen to on her iPod and logged on to her mother’s computer to access her online readings, Jessica hadn’t really been snooping. She hadn’t meant to look at the tab that was already open on the internet browser but...well, it was already open and Jessica wanted to close it. But before she could close the tab, this particular website caught her eye. It was the website for a local adoption agency, open on the information page for prospective adoptive parents.   
“What the hell?” Jessica muttered to herself. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the screen in front of her in disbelief. 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed some family fun and fluff before we go back to our regularly scheduled drama and angst ;)


End file.
